


See Me, Love Me

by Sheepgirl3



Series: Secrets, Broken and Fragile [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alpha Athena Grant, Alpha Bobby Nash, Alpha Evan "Buck" Buckley, Alpha Howie “Chimney” Han, Alpha Shannon Diaz, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beta Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, Beta Maddie Buckley, Bobby Nash is a Good Dad, Bottom Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), DO NOT COPY ANY PART ANYWHERE, Deception, Divorced Eddie Diaz/Shannon Diaz, Eddie Diaz Needs a Hug (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz Speaks Spanish, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fear, Firefam Feels, Henrietta Wilson is a good bro, Hurt Eddie Diaz, I tweeked a few regular A/B/O things to fit, Kinda, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mpreg, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Oblivious Evan "Buck" Buckley, Omega Eddie Diaz (9-1-1), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parental Bobby Nash, Past Abuse, Past Mpreg, Pining Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Protective Bobby Nash, Protective Evan "Buck" Buckley, Protective Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Romance, She’s a bitch-sorry not sorry, Smut, There’s an explanation for everything, Top Evan "Buck" Buckley, Worried Evan "Buck" Buckley, Worried Firefam, mentions of past physical abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:41:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24914782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheepgirl3/pseuds/Sheepgirl3
Summary: It’s the highest point of shame for an Omega to be left by their Alpha.Just below that point is the shame of being an unmated, single parent Omega.Eddie is weighed down by both of these shames, trying to make a life away from his family and Shannon for Christopher and himself. Without his designation screwing it up.Does his firefam know he’s an omega? No.Should he have told them? ....yes.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: Secrets, Broken and Fragile [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170401
Comments: 209
Kudos: 596





	1. Chapter 1

“Daddy? Are you ok?”

Eddie lifted his head from his hands, looking over at Christopher. His little boy was looking at him in concern. And yeah, Eddie had just had a bad set of dizziness. Yeah, he felt like he was going to throw up. But he couldn’t let Christopher worry. 

“Yeah Superman.” Eddie shot him a small smile, stirring around his cereal to ease the worryline in Chris’s brow. “How do you feel about staying at your Abuela’s tonight? I bet she’ll make you her special brownies.”

Christopher was not easily deterred. “You haven’t been ok for a long time, Daddy.”

No. He hadn’t. But Eddie couldn’t let Chris down. “I know, Superman. I’m gonna get some help, ok?”

That seemed to appease Chris, who promptly began to ramble about Abuela and her brownies. Eddie was relieved as Chris’s voice washed over him. He nodded along with Chris as his mind poured over one question. What would he do now?

****

After he dropped Chris at school, Eddie spent a long moment in his truck, staring at the bottles in his hands.

He couldn’t keep doing this. But he didn’t have many options. The suppressants and blockers were necessary. Blockers were mandatory at work, and suppressants...well, he hadn’t been off of them since he’d given birth to Christopher. He’d been on them so long that they made his scent fade into Beta level.

Which was why everyone at work thought he was a Beta. He couldn’t correct them. It would destroy everything. And that was why, as he stared at the very pills that were poisoning him now, he made himself take his daily dose.

Applying the blockers to his neck and wrist glands was easy enough. Then he took an Aspirin and headed towards work. He’d figure something out. But he needed to work.

****

Eddie walked through the station in a daze. He was heading towards the locker room, needing to change into his uniform, when the first bout of cramps hit. He gasped and clutched at his stomach, grabbing at the nearby ambulance for support.

Of course, it was noticed. “Hey Eddie, what’s wrong?” Chimney was heading towards him, a concerned look on his face.

Eddie put on a fake smile, pushing himself away from the ambulance. “I’m good. Must’ve been something I ate.”

Chimney nodded, looking mostly appeased but still concerned. “If you can’t work, don’t be afraid to call out.”

“Thanks Chim, I’ll be good.” Eddie pushed himself towards the locker room, willing his body to cooperate. He’d go to the doctor later. He just needed to get through his shift.

A second bout got him just a few seconds later, but he pushed on, determined to hide it.

He’d just reached the locker room door when he came face to face with Hen and Buck. 

“Eddie!” Buck exclaimed, while Hen welcomed him with a warm smile. Eddie managed a half smile back, which of course alerted them that something was wrong. “Eds? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” He said quickly, probably too quickly. He moved past them, but only just got inside the locker room before the third and worst bout of cramps hit. And of course, Hen and Buck were watching.

He felt them grab him as he doubled over, asking worried questions. Other people were entering the locker room at the commotion, and Eddie couldn’t do this. He pulled away with the protest of “I’m fine!”

Except the quick motion of pulling away made his vision black out, and he felt himself collapse. Someone caught him before he hit the floor, and he didn’t even care who. The nausea was bubbling up full force, the cramps were insane, and his head felt like it was going to explode. Someone was examining him, and he felt his shirt being rolled up. In the back of his mind, he panicked. If someone knew to look for the small scars hidden in his muscles...

“Eddie.” Hen’s quiet voice filtered through his consciousness. He cracked his eyes open with some effort, and saw an unreadable look on her face. “How long have you been on suppressants?”

Eddie could hear confused murmurs around him, but he focused on Hen, working to get out, “Since C-Chris was born. N-Nine years.”

Hen turned to say something to someone. Eddie could hear confused voices, but felt himself being pulled in unconsciousness. He let himself go, welcoming the blessed quiet.

Yeah. Great way to tell the 118 he was an Omega. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepa is precious. Next chapter will be the unveiling of the story behind everything.

Shannon was always a wildcard.

Young Eddie had been attracted to the vibrant, female Alpha since high school. Eddie himself was a shy, emotionally hesitant Omega, but when Shannon was in the picture, he felt alive and special.

Dating had gone well, along with the first bit of their marriage. But slowly, it had started to fall apart. Eddie couldn’t seem to do anything right. His only escape was the Army, but even that brought trouble. From the moment he’d first conceived, Eddie had fallen in love with Christopher. But at that point, his relationship with Shannon was getting worse and worse.

And well, it was a failure reflected on the Omega if the baby didn’t turn out just so. When Chris’s cerebral palsy was diagnosed, Eddie had never quite been looked at-by friends and family alike-the same again.

Then Shannon had vanished, leaving divorce papers in her wake. Devastated by being left to care for his son alone, but relieved to be free of her, Eddie had signed them. He’d considered himself lucky that Shannon willingly signed all custody over to him.

LA had been supposed to be a new start. But Eddie could never quite stop running from himself.

****

The first thing Eddie heard when he woke up was the steady beep of the heart monitor. He could then make out some humming, the notes of a familiar Spanish lullaby. There was only one person who could be humming that.

As he opened his eyes, he mumbled, “Hola Tia.”

Pepa was siting beside his hospital bed, the humming stopping as his aunt looked up at him. She’d been reading, and she set her book aside, smiling softly at him.

“Hola Edmundo. You’re finally awake.”

Eddie frowned, looking around his hospital room. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours. The doctors were concerned when they couldn’t get you to wake up.”

Eddie looked over at her. “What happened? I know I collapsed...”

“Mhmm, you did. One of your teammates-Hen, I think she calls herself-recognized it as suppressant poisoning and rushed you to the hospital. How long exactly has this been going on, Eddie?”

“Six months....” he answered quietly, unable to look her in the eyes. He knew how foolish he had been.

“Eddie!” She exclaimed. “Do you know what could have happened, another few weeks like that? Do you want to leave Christopher without his other parent?”

Eddie flinched, ducking his head to hide his watery eyes. Of course he didn’t want to orphan Christopher.

“Eddie.” His aunt lifted his chin up, an understanding look on her face. “Just tell me why you had to hide it so badly, love.”

Eddie took a second to shore his defenses up, just so he wouldn’t break down for his aunt to see. “When I came to California with Chris, I wanted us to have a whole new start. But I realized Texas wasn’t actually that backwards from the rest of the world, because I was still looked at like I was scum.”

“For being an unmated Omega with a child?” Pepa guessed.

“Yeah. And being not white with a white looking child.” Eddie lifted his hand to scrub at his face. “I couldn’t let Christopher down again. In El Paso, he hadn’t been bullied for having CP, he’d been bullied for having a single Oma. I just thought, I’ve been on suppressants so long already. Blockers are required by the department. Might as well do both.”

“Eddie, they tell me you’ve gone 9 years without a heat. Do you have any idea how horrible that is, how much damage that can cause?”

“Tia, of course I know.” Eddie’s voice was irritable, but his aunt didn’t seem to take it personally. He scrubbed at his face. “Equal opportunity for jobs like mine is still relatively new. Stuff like heat leave, rut leave, you get that stuff, but it’s not paid for. Pepa, I’m barely keeping the house.” His voice dropped as he finally told someone his struggles. “Between all the stuff for Chris, and how expensive LA is, a week or so without work would send us spiraling.”

Pepa had a look of concern and understanding. “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were struggling so?”

Eddie scrubbed at his face again, trying to fight back a well up of tears. His voice still cracked as he answered, “I didn’t want anyone to take Chris from me.” At Pepa’s concerned face, he elaborated, “My parents wanted to. They said it was better for him to not be around me. Maybe they were right-“

“No.” Pepa was firm. “Chris belongs with his Oma, and he loves you so much. It would break him if you left.”

Eddie nodded slowly. “Does he know I’m in the hospital yet?”

“Abuela was going to tell him once we heard how you were doing. We didn’t want to worry him more than necessary.”

He nodded again. It then occurred to him that he hadn’t seen any of his coworkers and friends since he’d woken up. “What happened after I got dropped off? With the rest of 118.”

“They’re out on a call now. They have come back in between calls to check on you many times.”

“Aren’t they upset?” Eddie asked softly. “I lied to them, I hid this from them.”

“They’re...confused. I wouldn’t call them very upset though. Except that friend of yours, Buck. He was more agitated than anyone else.”

Eddie closed his eyes tiredly. Buck and he had promised not to keep secrets anymore, after the lawsuit and fighting. He must be feeling pretty betrayed. “I’m scared to tell them.” He admitted.

Pepa squeezed his hand gently. “Tell them what you told me. Tell them about Shannon. I think they’ll understand.”

Eddie hoped so. He didn’t know what he’d do if they didn’t.

****

Eddie was just wrapping up a FaceTime call with Chris, reassuring him that his dad would be ok, when he saw the rest of 118 heading towards his room. He finished up with Chris before they came and sat back to wait, fidgeting with his sheets.

The only firefighters that entered his room were Bobby, Buck, Hen, and Chimney. They all offered him small smiles, which he returned shyly.

“Hey Eddie. How are you feeling?” Bobby took a seat near the bed. The other firefighters took up random seats around the room, but all close to him.

Eddie offered a dry laugh. “Like an idiot. But the doctor says they’ll only keep me overnight for observation.” He looked over at Hen, figuring he’d get straight to the heart of this. “How did you know?”

Hen smiled a little. “I’d had a niggling doubt in my head whenever I saw you with Chris. You were just so close, I’d only ever seen that with Omas and their pups before. But mostly, I know the symptoms of suppressant poisoning. The final clue was the marks on your abdomen.”

“Marks?” Buck spoke up for the first time, not quite meeting Eddie’s eyes.

“From carrying Chris.” Eddie answered softly. “Stretch marks.”

Buck nodded and looked down. Eddie felt unsure and awful. His best friend wasn’t even looking at him. And he’d lied to all of them. He said softly, “I’m sorry.”

Bobby looked understanding, like he knew there was more than it seemed to the story. “Can you just tell us what happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments keep authors happy!
> 
> Don’t worry, Buck is only a little confused and hurt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie’s Story.

When Eddie had first met Shannon, it was during their shared English class in senior year. Eddie had always been a shy, reserved kid that didn’t have many friends and was ok with that. Shannon was the most popular female Alpha in school. One day, at the start of senior year, Shannon had just sat next to him and started talking. Bewildered, but ok with the turn of events, Eddie had let her in past his defenses. Only a week later, she asked him out.

Their relationship in high school was a whirlwind that Eddie could barely keep up with. Shannon was so unlike any Alpha he’d ever met before, and he didn’t know if that was good or bad. She disliked responsibility, which should’ve been a major red flag. But she was a good listener, and liked to treat him with going to special places or bringing him his favorite foods. For a male Omega who was often scorned in the rather backwards state of Texas and by his own father-who’d wanted a strapping Alpha son-it made him feel really special.

Their first big argument had occurred when Eddie declared his intention of joining the Army. Shannon had been furious, insisting that he didn’t belong there and that he needed to stay behind. That an Omega’s place wasn’t in a war zone, and that he’d never make it through. Eddie stood his ground though, refusing to budge no matter what she threw at him. Just as he was considering just breaking it off with the Alpha, Shannon took a 180 degree turn. She said it was his decision, and that she’d support him.

Once they’d graduated, Eddie enlisted and Shannon had gone to college. After he’d finished boot camp, just before he shipped out, Shannon asked him to marry her. Eddie had accepted, too desperate to keep the best person he was likely to get to pay attention to his gut. His family had loved her, so Eddie just put everything negative on the nerves and enjoyed his last day home.

Eddie had finished his first tour by the time he and Shannon married. It’d been a beautiful, modern wedding, and time apart had actually done the engaged-newlywed-couple good, as they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. Eddie was only home for three weeks, preparing to ship out for his second tour.

There was only one thing that Eddie hadn’t liked about their making it official. Shannon had refused to lay a claiming bite on his neck, saying that it was too old fashioned for her. Self conscious about wanting one, Eddie didn’t bring it up again.

Looking back now, Eddie could point out every reason why his younger self should’ve listened to his instincts. He’d never been treated as an equal by Shannon, though he was called her equal whenever he got in trouble with her. He’d never felt fully settled, never having found his own feet to stand on in the whirlwind that was his wife. He’d never been secure in himself, and she never encouraged it.

Army had once a year heat/rut leave. It was two weeks long, enough to drain the suppressants out of the soldier’s system, then let them go into their respective cycles. Eddie got sent back for his heat leave halfway through his second tour. Shannon had always been weird about their cycles, sometimes not wanting him around when she was in rut or not wanting him when he was in heat. This time though, she did want it. Eddie wasn’t sure what happened exactly-maybe his birth control failed-but when he got checked up by a fellow medic after returning to Afghanistan (and feeling like crap) he found out he was pregnant.

Eddie hadn’t been ready for a kid. He was still in the Army, and he knew Shannon only liked kids from a distance. But from the moment he first knew, he couldn’t bring himself to do anything but carry it through. 

The Army had procedures in place for this, as Eddie was hardly the first Omega or Beta to wind up unintentionally knocked up. But unfortunately, they were all along the lines of, ‘serve as long as you can, we’ll send you back when you can’t, you’d better be back within a month after you give birth’. Eddie served throughout his first trimester and halfway into his fourth, just when it was getting hard to pull the bullet proof vest over his slight bump.

The first stutter in the road of pregnancy happened when the most experienced Army medic diagnosed him as a high risk pregnancy. Something about abnormal and dangerous protein levels. He was sent home almost immediately, which was definitely best for Eddie. Being in an active war zone was not great for his stress levels.

Once Eddie got home, he realized how much Shannon really didn’t want the baby. She never quite said as much, but she might as well have. She found his pregnancy scent appalling, which meant that there was no pregnancy bonding. Most nights, she remained on the other side of the bed or went out with friends. Eddie was homebound because of dizzy spells, lonely and desperate for the Affa of his baby. 

When Eddie had his appointment at six months, the doctor had seemed concerned. It was a different one this time, his previous ob/gyn too patronizing. She told him that no mating bite was making the pregnancy harder on his body, and that proximity to his not-by-bond Alpha was making it worse. She encouraged him to ask Shannon again, to stress that it was for the baby’s health as well as his own.

So there Eddie was, 21 years old and pregnant, pleading with his Alpha to bond with him. Shannon wasn’t having it, refusing to get anywhere near his mating and scent glands. As he begged her to for the baby’s sake, she yelled at him, saying that she didn’t care, and that it was his fault that he couldn’t carry the baby properly. She then went out with her friends again.

Eddie had no choice then but to acknowledge how badly he’d screwed up, choosing to marry Shannon. He didn’t have many options though. He was trapped in the house that didn’t feel like home and with an absent Alpha. 

He’d never know if she was cheating on him during the party times with her friends. She’d come home smelling like tons of different people, but that could very well just be from the club. Suddenly though, he was glad that she wouldn’t bond him, already sensing the destruction to come.

Not having a bond put him on bedrest for his entire last trimester. His blood pressure wouldn’t stabilize, and his doctor had quietly handed him a flyer and patted his shoulder. It was a support group, for pregnant Omas-to-be with distant Alphas. It also had resources on the back, if he ever needed to get out of a bad situation. Eddie, worn out by his pregnancy and constantly emotional, didn’t even try to protest, instead just tearing up as he thanked her.

The worst thing about Shannon at this point-who was never at home and rarely acknowledged him-was that she wouldn’t help him with anything. So bedrest was hardly as restful as it should’ve been, as he still had to keep the house tidy and get himself food. The best things about this time in his life were the support group, which he’d contacted in secret and now met with over Zoom, and his baby, who liked to kick whenever he felt like it, which was often.

When Eddie went into labor, Shannon had been at a party. Eddie had known it would be soon, unable to stop trying to pull together a nest, which they didn’t have supplies for. The ambulance took a long time to come, a large accident on the freeway delaying all vehicles. When they finally arrived though, they got him to the hospital fairly quickly.

Christopher Edwardo Diaz was born on August 6th, 2011. The birth was short but hard, the baby getting stuck twice. Eddie, having arrived too late for an epidural, could barely function for a few minutes after the birth, having to take a moment to become all present again. But finally, Christopher had been placed in his arms and the nurses and doctors gave them a little privacy.

Eddie gave Chris a wobbly smile, seeing the baby’s big eyes looking up at him. “Hey there baby. It’s about time you came to say hi, I’ve been really looking forward to meeting you.” The baby in his arms gave a tiny squeeze, seemly fascinated by his Oma. Eddie blinked back tears. “I won’t always be around, Chris. I’m going to have to leave in just a month, if I’m cleared physically. I’m gonna do everything in my power to make it back to you, ok? And no matter what happens, mi bebé, mi vida, I’ll always love you. I promise.” Eddie had never been really religious, but he knew there was a God. At this moment, he prayed for any Devine power to watch over his child. “I’m sorry, mi precioso. For everything bad that’ll happen to you because of my choices.”

Around that time, Shannon finally arrived, finally paying the both of them the most attention she had in months, cooing over the baby. Eddie added another prayer silently, that he could be enough for Chris when it all went south.

Eddie was cleared to return to his tour after a month had passed. Chris had been a fairly easy child so far, and Shannon was surprisingly doting over their son. Eddie was hopeful that when he’d return, they might actually be able to work some things out, even if it was only for Chris.

Eddie was gone for another year finishing up his second tour. When he came home, he found Shannon watching a tv show while on the phone, the baby screaming in the next room. Eddie had dropped his bag on the floor and hurried to the bedroom, picking up Christopher for the first time since the baby had been a month old. Other than having basic needs taken care of, it seemed to Eddie-from the lack of toys and personality-that the baby had been largely ignored. Eddie spent the next two hours singing him Spanish lullabies and murmuring in Spanish. Chris seemed to know his scent, but his face was still relatively a stranger to his kid. Eddie was hoping to be able to change that.

Over the next several months, Shannon and he fought tooth and nail. Eddie tried to stand up for Chris, who was teething and louder than ever. Shannon did anything from scream at him that it was all his fault to randomly leaving for a couple days. 

Things went to hell when Chris was 18 months old, as he was diagnosed with CP. It wasn’t a very high level, but he would be different from other kids, likely having to use crutches to get around and would have developmental issues.

That’s when everything at home erupted, and Eddie wished to be anywhere else. If a baby wasn’t just so, it often reflected on the Omega (or Beta or Alpha) who’d birthed it. Shannon took it to heart, often spending several hours at time telling Eddie exactly what he’d done wrong. Anything from the war that he’d been in until his fourth month, to overdoing it on bedrest, to being a broken Omega, and many worse things.

Eddie, lacking in sleep and desperate to get away from home-where any mistake would often lead to Shannon blowing up at him again-, saw the recruitment center in the middle of a grocery run one day. Before he knew it, he’d signed up for his third tour. He couldn’t bare the thought of leaving Chris alone, but he couldn’t be around Shannon. Maybe if he left, things would be better. Shannon would figure out a way to do things without him constantly screwing up. Eddie would earn enough money to keep them afloat, as now their bills were about to get a lot worse. No matter how he justified it, he couldn’t help but feel like a failure, which was hardly a new feeling anymore.

Shannon had erupted when he told her, going far enough as to throw a nearby dish at his head. Eddie had dived out of the way and run to Christopher’s nursery, sobbing out as he held his baby, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, please don’t hate me for leaving, please baby, things will be better if I go...”

So Eddie went off to his third tour. The story of how he got his medal follows canon, with the exception that Eddie was the first Omega, a male one at that, to be awarded the Silver Star. His commanding officer was impressed with him, making sure he got the medal that he deserved when various authorities hesitated at the idea of an Omega getting it. She was kind to him, making sure that he and his squad got home as soon as possible.

Eddie fought his own mind at every turn. He was now looked at in awe and surprise in his hometown, no one knowing how the quiet Omega that was married to Shannon managed to get himself such a high honor. Eddie just wanted to get home, to hold Christopher, who was now almost four years old.

His family was proud of him, always bragging about his accomplishments. Shannon’s family had never really liked him, only pleased with him when he’d birthed a son and that had gone out the window with the CP diagnosis. Shannon said she was proud, but treated him with a slightly chilly demeanor. Eddie could only assume she didn’t like the attention her Omega was getting, as she’d always relished being the one in the spotlight.

Christopher, who had grown into the sweetest little boy while Eddie was gone, was just happy to have his Oma home, often clinging to him at all times. Eddie could only assume that he must’ve been born with his precious outlook on life, because Chris certainly hadn’t learned it from anyone.

A week after Eddie got back, he woke up Monday morning to Chris in bed with him, already giggling as his Daddy looked at him.

“Hey Chris...” Eddie rubbed his eyes sleepily. “Where’s Mommy?” When Chris didn’t answer, Eddie sat up. “Where’s your Affa, baby?”

Chris hummed softly, a strange expression on his face even as he giggled. “She’s gone.”

Eddie was wide awake, looking around as he noticed that everything that belonged to Shannon was gone. Even the closets were empty. On the nightstand, there were a bunch of papers. Looking them over, Eddie saw they were divorce papers.

Blindsided, the former soldier just stared at the papers, subconsciously gathering Chris close, who seemed to understand that this wasn’t a happy time. The terms of the divorce were laid out. She’d already taken more than half of everything, including the money. But she had signed all custody of Chris over to Eddie, and that was all that mattered. Eddie threw down the papers and gathered Chris into his lap, seeking his child’s scent at his heart raced. She’d left him Chris. Eddie imagined what could’ve happened if she’d vanished in the night with Chris, and he shuddered. All he needed was his baby. Everything else, he’d figure out.

Eddie signed the divorce papers and did everything necessary to get them pushed through once he and the lawyer had made sure there were no hidden clauses. Within the week, Eddie became a single, unmated Omega with a disabled child.

For two years, Eddie barely saw his kid, working three jobs to try and pay for everything. His parents watched Chris, which he was grateful for. Eddie spent an hour every day playing with his son, even when he was about to drop from exhaustion.

It still wasn’t enough, as was evidenced by his parents asking him to leave Christopher permanently with them. When they mentioned him signing over custody, Eddie had stormed out, furious. He hadn’t fought this hard just to lose the only thing keeping him alive. He needed a new plan.

When he asked Chris if the kid wanted to take a trip with him, it was a half thought out idea. Abuela and Tia were in California, both his favorite relatives. Eddie made a split second decision that he would join the fire department there. It wasn’t anything he really thought through, but he knew it was right. The job sounded more like anything he wanted to do than anything else he could think of, and it was a steady paycheck.

So, without further ado, within just a couple months, Eddie packed up his and Chris’s lives and moved them to California, despite his family’s protests. He stayed with Abuela until he found a house. He passed the fire academy with flying colors and got assigned to a well thought of station.

Eddie’s decision to hide his designation stemmed off his own insecurities. An Omega who was left by their Alpha was regarded as broken and a failure. Chris didn’t need to be bullied for his Oma anymore (it had happened in El Paso). So when everyone seemed to assume he was a Beta, he went along with it, too afraid to correct them, though he always told himself he would.

(It didn’t help that the man who was first his enemy, then his friend and coworker, then his best friend in the world, was the best smelling Alpha he’d ever encountered and he’d been battling that sentiment for two years.) That part he left out.

His life had been pretty good up until he started to feel sick. Granted, the bills were backing up and more than once he’d stayed up all night wondering how they’d make ends meet. But Shannon hadn’t come after them to take Chris (which was still his biggest fear, even if she’d signed him over), he had an amazing group of friends and coworkers, and he actually loved his job.

When he’d realized it was suppressant poisoning, Eddie didn’t know what to do. He was scared to go off his suppressants and to go into heat for the first time in nine years. He was also scared for his friends to find out that he’d lied. And he was afraid of Chris being taken away if someone determined he was an unfit father.

Which was why he’d ended up here.

****  
Eddie told his story by glossing over the worst, not going into lots of details, (definitely leaving out what he thought of Buck’s scent), and trying to explain himself.

When he’d finished, there was a long silence. Bobby looked mad, but like a protective mad from his scent. Hen looked appalled, and Chimney didn’t seem to be able to process. Buck wasn’t looking at Eddie much, but his scent was furious.

“I’m still hung up on the horrible Alpha.” Chim finally broke the silence. “Who does that?”

“A lot of people, unfortunately. We’ve seen the results in our job.” Hen said quietly. “Eddie, we’re so sorry that happened...”

“I’m not looking for forgiveness or anything.” Eddie blurted out. “I know I’ve majorly screwed up, and I’ve failed you all and Chris...

“No you haven’t.” Bobby said firmly. “You’ve been an amazing dad to Chris, and a great friend and partner to all of us. I wish you would’ve felt safe enough to tell us, but I think we all understand the need for privacy. And the feeling of failure.”

“Of course we do.” Buck finally spoke. His scent was still sour, but he was finally looking at Eddie. “You deserve better.”

Eddie felt an odd sense of relief that Buck was speaking to him. “I thought you’d be madder than anyone.” He confessed, locking eyes with Buck.

His partner chuckled sheepishly. “I’m not mad at you. I’m a little hurt that you didn’t even tell me, but I get why. I’m more mad that I didn’t figure it out. I’ve spent how much time around you and Chris? And I still didn’t figure this out.”

“How did Chris not give it away?” Chim asked curiously.

Eddie smiled a little sheepishly. “He actually gave me the idea of hiding that I was an Omega. He asked before I started training if I was going to continue being an Omega “since it made me sad”. The kid didn’t know how designations worked, but it was a good idea. My scent was faded from the suppressants anyway. HQ knew of course, but you know that stuff doesn’t get sent down with the records to the stations. I just told Chris Daddy was taking a break from being an Omega for now, and he accepted it.”

“Smart kid.” Hen chuckled, and the rest of the group laughed in agreement.

“What happens now?” Eddie asked hesitantly.

Bobby shrugged. “Nothing changes on our end. You still have a place at the 118 when you’re ready. What did your doctor say?”

Eddie scrubbed at his face tiredly. “That I need to have a heat. To remind my body what it’s supposed to be, and to make sure I didn’t damage anything severely. Which, I can’t afford an unpaid heat leave, but I don’t have a choice.” He really couldn’t afford it. Chris had a special therapy appointment in the next two weeks which would already drain a lot of what he’d saved for the bills, even without the leave. 

Bobby looked at him knowingly. “Is it bad?” Eddie knew he wasn’t talking about the heat. With the new freedom of no secrets with his team, he fought back his pride enough to nod.

“I tell you what,” Hen started, a scheming gleam in her eyes. “We’ll cover for your heat leave financially, so you don’t lose pay. We can all chip in.” Everyone nodded. Eddie was about to protest when Hen leveled him with THE LOOK™️. “Don’t argue, Eddie. Think of it as compensation for our stupidity or something. Or just a bunch of friends trying to help one get back on his feet.”

Eddie couldn’t actually argue, too desperate and emotional to try. So he swallowed his pride again and nodded, saying softly, “Thank you.”

The 118 stayed until their shift ended, going to return the trucks to the next shift. Buck stayed though, moving to Eddie’s bedside and offering him a small smile, which Eddie returned shyly. He felt lighter than he had since he’d presented.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Buck and Eddie will talk more in the next chapter, though it won’t be THE talk.
> 
> Yeah yeah I made Shannon a bitch. I warned you.
> 
> So, I’m not sure if I’ll kill off Shannon in this. She will be making an appearance a little later on though. Tell me your thoughts on the matter.
> 
> Also, to clarify: Oma is the traditional name that a child calls their omega parent. Affa is the same, but for the alpha parent. Betas are usually called modern names, like mommy or daddy (mom/dad when they’re older)
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments! This was a hard chapter to write, but I’m happy with the format.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have some talks, and Eddie talks with Chris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo hoo Guys, I’ve got a double update for you! This is the first of the two.
> 
> This was a really hard one to write. But hold on you guys, lots of emotions coming soon.

There was a period of silence as Buck sat by Eddie’s bed, neither willing to break the comfortable quiet. Eddie fiddled with the IV lines, wrinkling his nose. He hated hospitals.

“Are we really ok?” He asked softly. His entire world had been turned upside in one day, it seemed hard to believe that he and Buck could still be good.

Buck gave a dry laugh. “We’re seriously ok, Eds. If you can forgive me.”

Eddie’s brow furrowed. “What for?”

Buck rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his scent a little annoyed. “I didn’t see you were struggling. I didn’t see how hurt you’ve been, or how you’ve been struggling financially. I didn’t even see how sick you were, I just thought you had a lot on your plate and were tired. What kind of friend does that make me?”

“It’s nothing about our friendship. I’ve been hiding it since day one, most of it. The sick part, well I meant to hide it. I just managed to fool you too.” Eddie tried to reassure him. He added quietly, “I’ve never really learned to ask for help.”

Buck chuckled softly, looking at him with an expression Eddie could only describe as fond. “You and me both, man.” He sat back, looking much more relaxed now. “So what’s your plan?”

Eddie chuckled drily. “Honestly? I have no idea. I guess I should talk to Chris, and Abuela and Tia. Let them know how things have worked out. I gotta admit,” he gestured widely and at himself. “This is all fairly new to me.”

“Do you know what you’re going to do?”

Eddie shrugged. “The day it starts, I’ll call Abuela and Tia, see which can take Christopher for the week. Then I just sweat it out.” Buck didn’t look too pleased for some reason. “You good?”

Buck looked up, startled. “Yeah, of course. Sorry, lost in my own head.”

Eddie nodded. He understood that. “So um....” he tried to figure out how to ask his question. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem, but everything felt off kilter now. “While I’m out, until my heat starts, want to swing by this week? We can start catching up on all of those movies we said we’d watch-“

“And got too busy talking to ever watch without waking up Chris?” Buck grinned, his face seeming to truly lighten up. “Sounds great. When should we do it?”

“Whenever you’re available and want to?” Eddie shrugged. “I’ve got all the time in the world now, and we’ve got enough for several movie nights. Chris will be thrilled too.”

Buck grinned. “Pulling out your kid to bribe me Eddie? You know I can’t handle the coercion.” He grasped his chest as if in pain and resignation. “Fine, I’ll just come over every night I’m free until you kick me out.”

“Never gonna happen.” Eddie just grinned. For once, the thought of several weeks at home didn’t seem so daunting.

****

Eddie had been released from the hospital fairly shortly after, with the strict instructions to never take another suppressant and to flush any of the remaining ones out of his system.

Eddie had three weeks off. One week to flush it all out, let his body prepare. One for the actual heat. And one to recover afterwards. The 118 family hadn’t let him argue with finances, and while it was a bit embarrassing it was also a relief. 

Christopher was delighted to have his Oma at home, but the explanation had been difficult to figure out. Finally, the end of his first day at home, Eddie had sat his son down to talk.

“Are we going to talk about why you were in the hospital?” Chris looked up at him trustingly. Eddie nodded slowly.

“That’s right buddy. How much did your aunt and Abuela tell you?”

“They said that you got really sick, and that the doctors needed to make you better.”

“That’s right, they did.” Eddie thought about his next words. “Chris, do you remember when I told you that I was going to take a break from being an Omega?”

“Yes...I thought it was good. You were sad when Grandma and Grandpa mentioned it.”

His kid was sharp. “Yeah buddy, I was. Well, sometimes other people want to take a break from their designation too. There are medicines to help that. I started to take a medicine for it, but I took it too long and it made me really sick.”

“And that’s why you were in the hospital?”

“Yeah it was. The doctors made me better, but I can’t take that medicine anymore.”

“Does that mean that you’re going to be an Oma again?”

Someday, Eddie would explain exactly how designations worked, but this was about as much as he could do for his nine year old. “Yeah Chris, it does.”

Chris had a frown on his face. “But it made you sad.”

“Yes it did. But I’m not sad about it anymore.”

“What about Grandma and Grandpa? They made you sad.”

They can shove it, Eddie thought darkly. Outwardly, he offered Christopher a small smile. “I don’t know baby. But it’s not ok to let other people make you sad, especially sad enough to hide a part of yourself. So I’m not going to let them make me sad.”

Christopher nodded wisely. “So it’s ok if I call you Oma now too?” 

Eddie gathered his kid up into a hug, taking a whiff of his sweet baby scent. Children always smelled a little like their parents, but until they reached adulthood, they had a soft, blanket like smell that was their baby scent. “Of course, Superman. I’m sorry for ever making you keep secrets. It wasn’t fair to you.”

“You cried yourself to sleep a lot.” Chris said practically, and wow...Eddie had not known his kid had heard him. “Especially after Alpha left.” He’d cried more when Alpha was around, but Chris had been too young to know that. “You’ve said before that we make scar-sacr-“

“Sacrifices?”

“Yeah, sacrifices, for those we love.” Eddie remembered those times. It was usually something when Chris was feeling guilty and sad about needing so much help. Eddie didn’t ever want his kid to believe it had been easy, but he never wanted his kid to doubt he was loved. “It wasn’t hard Daddy.”

Eddie just held his child close and kissed the top of his head. “Thanks for being such an amazing kid, Chris.”

His son had simply giggled and held tighter onto him.

After that interaction, everything else had been easier. Abuela and Tia had worked out something with Carla, so Chris would be fine. Buck came over most nights, sometimes as soon as he got off work. They’d usually just sit there with Chris and eat whatever takeout Buck had brought with him, or whatever meal Eddie and Buck worked together to make.

Life felt comfortable and easy on those nights, and Eddie could ignore the tendril of fear creeping further into him as more time passed. He hated to admit it, but Buck’s Alpha presence made him feel safer. Whether it was the feelings Eddie tried so hard to ignore or if it was just that Buck smelled like safety, he didn’t know and refused to over analyze.

Then there were nights like tonight, when Chris was at a sleepover and it was just Buck and him. Eddie had gotten the final toxicity reports back from his doctor that morning and hadn’t been able to think of much else. Buck, knowing that the papers had come and seeing Eddie be even more quiet, finally turned the movie off and turned to Eddie expectantly.

The older Diaz didn’t even argue, wanting to say it to at least someone. “I’ll probably never be able to have another kid.”

Buck’s forehead furrowed. “I don’t know much about suppressant poisoning.” He admitted. “Why?”

Eddie shrugged in an attempt at nonchalance. “Four years without a heat is dangerous, and known to cause infertility after the fact. I’ve been nine years without a heat and on suppressants which they just started recalling because the company has been secretly messing up the ingredients for years. The tests came back with every indication that it won’t be possible for me anymore.”

Buck frowned a little, leaning back. “That’s horrible, but at least you have Chris.”

Eddie nodded a little, twirling his beer in his hands. “I do, yeah. I just feel like a failure, you know? And...” he paused, scraping at the label on the bottle as he thought. “I never really expected to find another mate, you know? Even if I could trust someone after Shannon, no Alpha would want abandoned leftovers. Or a disabled kid to take care of. But I couldn’t help but hope, just a tiny bit, that maybe one day, I’d be proved wrong.” Preferably by the Alpha he was currently confessing this too. “But now I just need to make my peace with it, because is there an Alpha out there that would want all that, plus an infertile Omega, and want me? Doubtful.” Because the only Alpha he could think of that had that big of a heart was sitting beside him, and Eddie had only ever seen him have female Beta partners.

When Eddie looked over at Buck, the Alpha had an unreadable look in his eyes, studying him thoughtfully. There was a long moment of silence, during which Eddie started to wonder if he’d said something wrong. Then Buck did something surprising, scooting closer and wrapping his arms around Eddie, hugging him close. Eddie went willing, relishing the hold.

“They’re all idiots.” Buck grumbled, and Eddie honestly didn’t know what to make of that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie’s heat begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Number two in the update!
> 
> Warnings in the end notes if you want to check them out. Just hit “see the end of the chapter for notes” then hit “top” so you can get back and forth easily.
> 
> Buck’s perspective next chapter!!!!!!

Eddie could tell his heat was coming closer. He was fidgety and anxious, fighting back the urge to nest because he didn’t have the supplies. He’d never actually built a nest before. It had been a shameful thing in his home for him to need a nest, even though everything was provided for one of his sisters, who was also an Omega. He’d had makeshift nests while with Shannon, but his ex Alpha had refused to get the supplies, claiming she didn’t want the clutter in their room. There was no nesting on tour. And then Eddie just didn’t have the time, energy, or money over the past few years.

Eddie was pretty sure he still had a couple days, which he was glad of because Buck was coming over that day. He had a day off and they had been talking about going somewhere, as Eddie hadn’t been out in a while. The Omega wasn’t sure that was possible anymore, with his heat so close, but they’d still be able to hang out.

Buck had been a blessing, taking Christopher to school or picking him up when Eddie was having problems with the suppressants draining from his system. They’d sit on the couch for hours, Buck telling stories from his last shift and Eddie submitting his input. If Eddie was feeling like shit, Buck would always find a way to make it better.

Which didn’t help Eddie’s preheat (and non preheat) brain from screaming, Mate.

Buck would make someone a damn good mate one day. He was so loving and caring, giving his all for the people he cared about. That was the kind of Alpha that should exist. Eddie wished he hadn’t wasted himself on Shannon.

Unfortunately, Eddie spent most of the day on that train of thought and wound up on the couch with a container of cookie dough ice cream, trying to fight back feelings of worthlessness and failure. He was glad Chris was starting his week with Abuela and Tia today, because he didn’t know if he could be strong for his son.

Eddie wound up falling asleep, emotionally drained. He didn’t know how long he was out, but when he came to, he felt like he was on fire, his belly clawing at itself and the first bit of slick appearing between his cheeks. 

“Fucking hell...” Eddie choked out, clawing at his shirt until he pulled it off, relishing any cool he could get against his feverish skin. This was wrong, his heats had never come like this before. It was usually a process that was eased into, he was already halfway to full blown heat.

Just as he tugged at his shorts, there was a knock on the door. Eddie froze, panting from the fire in his body. Fuck it all, he’d forgotten Buck was coming over. Every fiber in his body pleaded with him to let the Alpha in, to let himself be taken care of and loved. The Omega reached for his phone with trembling hands, making himself stop from crawling over to the door and begging the Alpha to help.

Buck answered on the second ring. “Hey, I’m here!”

“Ye-ah, I know.” Eddie was already rocking his cock against his hand, trying to quell the fire in his belly enough to concentrate. “We’re gonna h-have to raincheck, Buck. I-I’m in heat.”

Buck made a slight noise that Eddie didn’t know what to make of. It sounded strangled. “You-um, you sound pretty far gone already.”

“I-I am, gotta be halfway there already.”

“Already? When did this start?”

“I k-knew it’d be in the next couple days...fuck this is different, i-I’ve never had it this quick before... shouldn’t have been till Thursday at least....”

“I-can I help, Eds? Do you need me to get you groceries or...pick up Chris, or what?”

Eddie bit his lip, trying to stop himself from asking Buck to join him and only just managing. “N-no.” As if they hadn’t been stocking the pantry all week. And Buck knew Chris’s time with Abuela started today. “B-but thanks...”

Buck sounded hopeless as he answered quietly, “Ok...” he didn’t sound happy about it. “Call me if you need me, ok?”

Eddie could practically hear Buck’s wince at the choice of words and drily chuckled. Yes Eddie needed Buck, but more than Buck could guess. “Ok...thanks.”

“Of course.” The hang up took a moment, like Buck didn’t really want to say goodbye. Eddie didn’t want him to go, but really, the call ended just in time. A wave of cramps ran through his body, making him double over and fall off the couch. Tears ran down his face as he tried to push himself up off the ground. None of his heats had ever hurt this bad, not even when Shannon had been absent.

Eddie finally had to crawl to his bedroom, barely making it there before sagging against the floor again. It took a great deal longer than it should have for him to get on his bed, but he practically wept when he managed it. There, he wouldn’t need to move for a bit. He dug through his nightstand after placing his phone on it, where he’d stashed lube and a small toy that he’d bought with no small amount of shame. He was already so wet he didn’t need the lube, but he took the toy out and looked at it, panting softly as his cramps relaxed for a moment.

Female Alphas had a weird biology. They had a knot, but they didn’t really have a cock. It was an overlap of skin which filled like any Alpha’s knot when they were about to come, and it could then be locked inside the Omega, but any of the sex proceeding the knot was up in the air. 

So, needless to say, Eddie had never been really fucked by anything but his own fingers. But fucking hell, as another wave of cramps overtook him, that toy was looking better and better. 

‘This is going to be a very long week’, Eddie thought weakly as he pulled down his shorts.

****

He wasn’t going to make it through the week. It had been only 28 hours, it was evening the day after Eddie’s heat had started, and he wasn’t even sure he’d survive.

Eddie wasn’t even entirely certain that he was fully conscious. It felt like he was floating, not quite able to reach Earth. He hadn’t left the bed since he’d crawled to it the day before, which meant no food or water. He’d triggered...oh who knows how many orgasms, but it just didn’t get any easier. It hurt... so badly...

Eddie panted, too weak to make any more sounds as he pumped the toy in and out of his ass. It was too small, and it...it wasn’t real! He needed a real one, a real cock in his ass, a real knot filling him up. He needed an Alpha taking care of him.

He’d never really had an Alpha take care of him before.

Wait yes he had. Buck looked after him at work, and helped with Chris, and made sure he had everything he needed for his heat. Such a good Alpha looking after him. Suddenly, Eddie couldn’t remember why he hadn’t called Buck to help before.

His hand left his tired, weak cock, fumbling around to find his phone. With trembling fingers, he found Buck’s contact and pressed the call button.

“Eddie? Hey, aren’t you still-“ Eddie wasn’t sure what the noise that left his lips was, but it stopped Buck in his words. “Eddie, are you ok? What’s wrong?”

God, the Alpha’s voice was so deep and sexy. Had Eddie said that aloud? He didn’t know nor care. “Buck...” he whimpered softly, then gasped as another wave of cramps hit him.

“Eddie, talk to me, what’s wrong?”

Eddie loved when Buck got all bossy. “It hurts...” he got out, hissing as the toy hit his sore prostate.

“Eddie?” Buck sounded worried. Maybe a little scared. Eddie was too. 

“‘M scared.” He got out. “It hurts, it won’t go away...help.”

Buck was quiet for a moment, then his voice came uncertainly over the phone. “I don’t know how to make the pain go... Do you need Carla, or Hen? Maybe they can take you to the-“

“Wrong help...” Eddie choked out. “Alpha please!”

Buck made a strangled sound. “Eddie no, we can’t do something you’ll regret and hat-“

Eddie’s eyes swam with tears, only hearing rejection. “I-I’m sorry, I-I did bad.” He slurred out, hiccuping with a sob. He always did bad asking with Shannon too. Buck didn’t want him either. “‘M sorry Alpha...please d-don’t leave...”

“Wait, no Eddie I didn’t mean that-“

Eddie was pretty sure he was sobbing. He was at least hiccuping a lot, barely able to talk. “‘M sorry, f-failed again, didn’t I...I-I’ll do b-better, don’t take C-Chris, p-please...Al-“ Eddie felt another orgasm finally tear through him, but his vision blacked out as he threw up over the side of the bed. He could distantly hear his name being called as the phone slipped from his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for the chapter:
> 
> Eddie gets really sick because of his heat. It does start getting explicit. He throws up, and has an emotional breakdown because he’s out of it and thinks Buck is rejecting him.
> 
> (I’d like to clarify that Buck only says no because he’s afraid of taking advantage of Eddie. He is more than willing to help if Eddie really wants him.)
> 
> Some things to clear up:
> 
> Shannon will come into this far worse than I’d planned her to. Any warnings will be confined to those chapters because i don’t want to spoil it. 
> 
> In my Omegaverse, it’s not fuck or die. However, Eddie’s system is so screwed over from years of abuse, rejection, and neglect that his body can’t handle a heat on his own. In this particular instance? It will be fuck or die.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buck’s POV and taking care of Eddie.
> 
> Also we love Hen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small mentions about the vomit, but I think that’s all that needs to be warned? Oh and Buck always gets himself in sticky situations

Buck pulled up to Eddie’s house in record time, barely remembering to lock his Jeep as he ran up to the door. Letting himself in, the Alpha made a beeline for the back bedroom, thankful to know his way around Eddie’s house so well. 

Seeing Eddie slumped over his bed, with small tremors running through his body and only feebly moving, did weird things inside Buck. His protective instincts reared up full force as he hurried over, taking stock of the situation.

“Eddie? Can you hear me?” He turned the Omega over so that he was fully on the bed.

Eddie only stirred a little, but he was at least somewhat responsive. Unfortunately, Buck didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t normal for heats, right? He should probably call 9-1-1, but that didn’t sit right with him, just coldly handing Eddie off to the paramedics. So, doing what any sensible person should, Buck called Hen.

“Hey Buckaroo, what’s up?”

“Hen, I got a call from Eddie about a half hour ago. He started his heat yesterday and was in really bad shape when he called me tonight. I’m over here now and it’s even worse than I thought, and I don’t know what to do.”

“He’s in heat, you said? What’re his symptoms?”

“He’s burning up.” Buck felt along Eddie’s head, swallowing roughly at all the heat radiating off of him. “That isn’t normal, right?”

“No. You’re doing good, Buck, keep going.”

“He vomited when he was on the phone with me. He seemed like he wasn’t all there mentally, and now he’s barely responsive.” Buck scrubbed his face. “I don’t even know what else I’m seeing, do I take him to the hospital?”

“Ok Buck. I wouldn’t advise calling an ambulance at this stage, they won’t be able to do anything that you couldn’t do yourself. I’ve seen this before; I’ll talk you through what to do. And if that doesn’t work, then we’ll decide what to do from there. Are you ok to do this, Buck? I can come over.”

Buck took a deep breath, thankful that his being was too worried about Eddie to be reacting to the Omega in heat. “No, Eddie needs something now. I’m ok to do this.”

“Ok, Buck. First, I need you to run a bath for him. Just on the warmer side of lukewarm, he needs to burn his fever off. Do that for now.”

“Ok.” Buck set Hen on speakerphone, going to the bathroom to start running the bath and then going to get Eddie. The Omega was frighteningly still, but he was still breathing. A thick, shiny sheen of sweat beaded on the older Diaz’s skin, his skin still burning. Buck spotted a small toy that was tangled in the bedsheets. Given the state of it, Eddie must have haphazardly thrown it to the side, and Buck felt immediate thanks that he didn’t have to violate his friend’s privacy any more than he was already to remove it. 

“Alright, Buckaroo.” Hen’s voice was soothing, calm. “If the tub is ready, then I need you to carry him and place him in it. Make sure his head is still propped up, because you’ll need to do some things while he’s soaking.”

Buck muttered some words of agreement, carefully picking Eddie up in a bridal carry. Not practical, necessarily, but it felt important to handle him with care. He placed the barely conscious Omega in the tub, making sure the water was warm before making sure Eddie’s head was propped against the back of the tub. Then he went to grab his phone.

“Ok, he’s in the tub.” 

“Ok good.”

“What’s happening, Hen?”

“His heat is too much for his body to handle. I’ve seen it before in abandoned Omegas, their Alpha leaves them high and dry and they have to suffer their next heats alone. It’s basically bond breaking, even if-like Shannon and Eddie-they didn’t have the mating claim on the neck. Except Eddie was on suppressants when Shannon left, so he never got to experience this until now, which unfortunately means that it’s twice as bad. From being on suppressants, his hormones are also completely out of whack. He’s experiencing all the hormones that should have accompanied his strongest emotions over the years all at once and right now. Essentially, his own body is trying to kill him by trying to recover.”

Buck rested his head against the doorway and watched Eddie, whose tremors seemed to be slowing a bit. “Who knew being an Omega could be so hard.”

“They definitely got the short end of the stick. Especially Male Omegas. But even Alphas have a rough time of it, you know that damn well.” 

Yes they did. Buck had only ever spent a couple ruts alone, and he highly suspected that was why he’d always sought out attention and ‘love’. A week spent wandering your home, without an Omega-or even for some a Beta- to protect and care for, being driven crazy by the walls that seemed to mock and close in around you, was complete hell. Buck thought about the reversal of it, the Omega’s desire to be loved and pampered, to care for their Alpha, the mental health that seemed to ride on what happened during a heat/rut. It was more than just a time of being as horny as you can imagine, it was the essence of care that so many craved, at a time where all barriers could drop to allow it. Eddie had suffered so much neglect over the years, and Buck had always found the wrong kind of attention.

“It’s not fair.”

“No it’s not.” The Beta’s tone was understanding. “Remind me what complications Eddie had during his pregnancy.”

Surprised by the question coming out of left field, Buck answered, “Ummm....abnormal protein levels and high blood pressure, right?”

“That’s what I thought. High blood pressure was probably because of Shannon’s neglect, but I’m wondering about the protein levels. Does it look like Eddie has been out of bed, taking care of himself at all since the heat started?”

“Ummm....” Buck did a quick examination of the house. Everything looked like it’d been dropped in a hurry, and from restocking Eddie’s shelves just a few days ago, he could see that little to nothing had been touched. He remembered the vomit in the bedroom, how there wasn’t much to it at all. “No.”

“Right. You need to get food and water into him. His body is running off reserves now, that’s probably part of why he’s so bad off. Get fruit and cheese, maybe some nuts as well. Nothing heavy. Get both water and juice, what kinds of juice does he have?”

Buck checked the fridge. “Apple and punch.”

“Get the punch, one thing about getting an Omega through a heat is making sure they have a constant sugar/sweet intake.”

Buck, feeling slightly more confident, whipped together a nice tray for Eddie. “There, I think I’ve got it. I’m going to move the tray into the bedroom now, then check on Eddie.”

“If his fever is broken, take him out of the bath and move him to the bed.”

“Should I change the bedsheets?”

“Does he have a nest up? Cause messing with an Omega’s nest is never a good idea.”

“No nest.” That concerned Bucky. He may not know much about Omegas and heats, but he does know that nests are a necessary item for the best heat.

“Alright, then changing the sheets would be a good idea.”

“Then what? Once I get him out of the tub?”

Hen hummed softly. “You need to make sure he eats and drinks. After that, all you can really do is wait and make sure he starts recovering.”

Buck carried the tray to the bedroom with a frown. “Nothing else? That doesn’t seem like a lot.”

“Eddie’s body has to do the rest of the work. You’re just helping where you can, and that will make a huge difference.” He heard some shuffling from Hen’s end, then she stated, “Let’s talk about you.”

“Me? What about me?” Buck set the tray down and glanced in at Eddie, whose skin looked a little less flushed.

“Do you feel up for doing this? Being around an Omega in heat is not for just anyone, and you are an Alpha. The last thing we need is for you to go into rut while taking care of him.”

“I’m still on suppressants.” Buck reminded her. “The scent is pretty strong in here, and I’m sure it’ll only get stronger, but I don’t really feel affected? Not like I thought I’d be.”

“Ok.” Hen sounded thoughtful. “You need anything, I’ll come over, ok?”

“Thanks Hen. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I don’t know either. Update me along the way, I’ll let you take care of our boy now.”

“Thanks Hen. Talk to you later.”

Once Buck was off the phone, he quickly stripped the sheets-having to awkwardly set the small toy aside-and remade the bed. He opened a window to let some fresh air in and went to check on Eddie, who was dozing a little. Buck felt glad that there wasn’t a ton of room in the bathtub, otherwise the man might’ve sunk when he fell asleep.

Buck gently carried Eddie back to the bed and coaxed him to be at least a little awake, feeding him from the tray. The man didn’t seem to be nearly as fevered, and Buck took that as a hopeful sign of being on the mend. He didn’t know what he’d do if Eddie got worse.

When he’d gotten about as much food and punch into Eddie as it seemed likely he’d get, Buck cleared away the tray and came back to find Eddie watching him, already half asleep.

“You came.” The Omega said drowsily.

“Of course I came, Eds.” Buck sat on the edge of the bed.

“You stayed.”

“And I’m going to stay, if you’re comfortable with it.” Buck watched as a soft smile crossed Eddie’s face before the man fell asleep.

Buck, for lack of a better option, laid down on the other side of the bed. He stared across at his best friend. Of course he’d volunteered to watch over his best friend during his heat, the best friend he’d had a crush on for two years. He just kept getting himself in sticky situations. 

How was he supposed to be able to take care of Eddie during his heat when all he wanted to do was “take care” of the Omega? Not just sex-although yes, that too-but to be the caring Alpha he wanted to be.

It didn’t matter. He’d do this for Eddie, and happily. He just hoped the Omega didn’t mind too much when he woke up.

Buck dozed off eventually too, his last memory was watching Eddie’s peaceful breathing while he slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it’s been almost a month. Writers block has been HORRIBLE. I’m not fully satisfied with this chapter, but it’s better than nothing. I can’t promise when I’ll have the next chapter out, but I’ll try and make it soon.
> 
> Thank you to the amazing and dedicated fans of this story, still kudoing and commenting even when i haven’t updated in 29 days. You guys spurred me on to push this out. Kudos and comments mean everything.
> 
> Come talk to me on Tumblr “Sheepgirl3”. Feel free to pop into my asks.


	7. They get some shit together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie wakes up and the boys have a long overdue talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the overdue update, but I’m so glad to bring this chapter FINALLY to you (writer’s block is a bitch)
> 
> Eddie is lucid, which means his mind is clear during this point and time in heat. He’s fully aware of everything that’s being done and said and he is consenting.

It took a bit for Eddie to fully wake up, his mind gradually returning to consciousness. After a few minutes, his eyes blinked open and he looked blearily around. Memories started coming back to him as he looked around the room that was definitely not as messy as he’d left it. He was in heat, and something had been wrong. He had a vague recollection of Buck being there, but he couldn’t remember why that was or even if that had been true.

His body was less achy and it would appear that his heat had subsided a bit. He was obviously in the middle of one of the only lucid times his heat would give him. During lucid times, it was basically as good as not being in heat, only it was a short reprieve.

He looked around, taking stock again of the clean sheets and clean...him. He saw that his phone was plugged in and that the toy was resting on the nightstand. Eddie blushed at the thought of someone handling it, because yes, it would appear that someone had been there and quite recently.

He could hear movement in the main area of the house, and a faint smell that could possibly mean food. His stomach growled and he had a faint memory of being fed by Buck. The way things were looking, the possibility that the Alpha was there seemed quite likely. The Omega didn’t know what to make of that, deciding to ignore the pleased but embarrassed feeling in his gut at the thought of Buck helping him.

Why was Buck there? He couldn’t remember. Had he called him?

Eddie pulled himself out of bed, finding a clean pair of boxers in his dresser. He hesitated, then pulled on a worn out t-shirt as well. Even though all appearances pointed to Buck bathing him when he was naked and covered in slick and sweat-an interesting image that Eddie refused to dwell on-, he figured that it would be best to cover as much as possible. Even though wearing clothes during heat often got itchy.

Still feeling a bit weak from his heat, he sat back on his bed and let out a long breath, unsure if he should alert whoever was in his house that he was awake or not. He soon realized that he didn’t need to, hearing footsteps coming closer to the bedroom. He rested back against the headboard just as Buck entered the room.

The alpha seemed mildly surprised that Eddie was awake, and maybe a little embarrassed too. He held a plate in his hands and after his brief halt of surprise, Buck set it down at the end of the bed. “Morning. How are you feeling?”

“Umm...better.” Eddie answered after another evaluation, just to be sure. “Lucid for now.” He scooted forward to look at the contents of the plate. Bacon and a couple hard boiled eggs, with a couple of chocolate chip pancakes on the side. Probably more touched than he should’ve been, Eddie glanced up at Buck with a small smile. “Thank you...for everything. I don’t remember much or how you got here, but I do remember a bit from last night.”

Buck perched on the edge of the bed and tilted his head. “You don’t remember calling me?”

Eddie drew a blank as he searched his memory, trying to find any breadcrumbs to follow. Calling him? Why would he call the Alpha that he’d crushed on for two years in the middle of his...oh. Oh. Eddie buried his face in his hands with a groan. “Fuck! Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Buck. Made such a fool of myself, damnit...”

“Hey it’s ok.” Buck cut in and rubbed Eddie’s shoulder to reassure him. With anyone else, the touch might have made Eddie antsy, but with Buck it simply made him feel good. “Seriously.” Buck pried his hands down and looked Eddie in the eyes. “It’s ok. I’m glad you called me. You weren’t doing ok and without you calling I never would’ve known that you needed help.”

“But whatever I said...” Eddie felt a real edge of distress creeping in. What had he said? Did he give himself away? What if their friendship was damaged just because of his fucking biology?

Buck could clearly smell the distress on his scent and moved closer to hug him against his chest. “Eddie, please don’t work yourself up over it. C’mon, you’re not being fair to yourself. You were in distress and not in your right mind. I’m not upset. You did good.”

Hearing that he did good probably shouldn’t have affected him in any way, but after so long of only knowing himself as a failure, the phrase washed over him and he felt himself relax a little bit. Buck could probably tell, but he still didn’t loosen his grip. Frankly, Eddie was glad, more than he should be. “You sure?” He double checked.

“Absolutely.” Buck pulled back a little. Eddie mourned the loss, but upon looking at Buck’s guilty face he only felt concern instead. “If anything, I should be sorry.”

“What? Why?” Why should Buck feel sorry? Eddie was confused.

“I had to invade your space and privacy. You couldn’t even give consent you were so out of it. I didn’t have a choice, but...”

“Hey. You didn’t have a choice, period.” Eddie said firmly. “You know we have to do things on the job sometimes that we wish the person could indicate that they were ok with it, but we have to help them anyway. You were helping me. I don’t feel violated, just a little embarrassed.”

“Nothing to feel embarrassed about.” Buck smiled softly. “Thanks for that though.”

Eddie ducked his head shyly and turned his attention to the breakfast in front of him, munching on the bacon first. Buck smiled and stood after a moment. “I’ll be right back.” He threw behind him as he left the room. Curious but not too concerned, Eddie worked away at his breakfast. He was hungrier than he thought and finished it off fairly quickly.

Buck still wasn’t back, so Eddie set about trying to arrange his bed coverings. He’d never built a real nest, for reasons already explained, but the itch under his skin was growing. He was finally having a heat and his body wanted him to go all out. 

Eddie sighed at the end result. A truly pathetic nest was on his bed, made out of his comforter and one sheet. A nest was meant to cradle the Omega, keep them safe. They were usually a mound of blankets, pillows, and if there was an Alpha in the picture articles of the Alpha’s clothes for comfort scenting. They all sank in at the middle to give the Omega a place to lay and be encased by comfort. It was a safe place for them.

Eddie looked at his nest, one side of which was sagging, and felt tears come to his eyes. He angrily pushed it to the side of the bed and covered his face with his hands.

“Eddie?” Buck’s cautious voice came from the doorway. He could obviously scent Eddie was in distress again, even if he hadn’t been in an emotional position. Eddie jerked his face out of his hands and swallowed his emotions down, turning to look at the Alpha. Buck’s eyes were tracking the nest and it was clear that he knew what was going on. Eddie felt a bubble of shame rise in his throat. Nests weren’t just for Omegas, they were also for bonding with a mate. The idea that an Alpha, no matter how unattainable he was, was seeing his pathetic attempt was almost too much to bear.

No doubt Buck could smell the added distress scents, but he could most likely track where Eddie’s mind had went to. The Alpha came closer and sat tentatively on the edge of the bed. Eddie’s gaze was fixed on his own lap, unable to look up at Buck.

“Eddie...” Buck’s voice sounded hesitant and worried. The Omega felt the bed shift before Buck continued. “Umm...I need you to tell me if I’m overstepping, ok? If I am, then I’ll leave you in peace.”

Eddie was thoroughly confused, looking up at the Alpha. “What...”

Buck seemed to steel himself before continuing. “When I was helping you last night, I called Hen so that I’d know what to do.” That made sense. “Umm...well, she’d asked if you’d had a nest up. I don’t know a lot about heats, but I do know that nests are ideal. I also remembered-it was really brief-but when you were talking about what happened with Shannon you said that nests weren’t allowed. Your parents too.”

Eddie hadn’t remembered saying that before now, but looking back he could pick out the time that he’d vaguely mentioned it. “You remembered?”

“Of course.” Buck shifted. “Well, I called Hen again early this morning. I-fuck I don’t know how to say this.” He blew out a breath and said quickly, “We got you nesting supplies.”

Eddie could only stare at Buck, not sure that he’d heard right. “...what?”

Buck fiddled with the corner of the blanket. “It didn’t sit right that you didn’t have a nest. So Hen went out shopping-she knew better than I would what you’d most likely need-and she dropped it off just a bit ago.” Eddie hadn’t heard voices, but observance wasn’t his strong point during his heat. Buck shifted again anxiously. “I...fuck I overstepped, didn’t I? Hen worried-“

Buck was cut off by Eddie throwing himself at the Alpha, clinging to him as tears ran down his cheeks. No one had ever cared that much. But Buck? He’d enlisted Hen’s help just so Eddie could have a nest? The Omega’s emotions were overrun, but fortunately, Buck seemed to understand. He simply held Eddie close, tension leaving his body at the understanding that his friend wasn’t upset. 

“You...you’d just do something like that?” Eddie whispered, blinking back a fresh wave of tears. Fuck these hormones. But this wasn’t just hormones. Something was shifting here.

“Of course I would.” Buck’s voice was quiet. It was obvious that they were having a different kind of moment here. The tension felt different, more charged. Eddie felt his heart rate spike. “Eddie, you’re...well, you’re really special to me.”

They were dancing on the line. Both of them knew it without processing it. Buck had knowingly and unknowingly left an opening for Eddie to either take or avoid without damage being done. They both knew it. The implications of it...

Could Buck...be giving Eddie an opening to tell him his feelings? Was Buck telling him he felt the same? Eddie had never been the best with romantic cues. He shifted so that he could pull his head back to look at Buck. Their faces were close, but it didn’t matter. So much was going between them, unsaid but in some sense understood. 

Eddie, for once in his life, made the first move. His head ducked a little as his lips brushed Buck’s cheek down to his jaw. He could’ve explained it as an accident in a panic if he’d needed to, but it was too intimate for anyone involved to believe him.

Buck’s breath slowly released, the Omega’s name falling from his lips in a sigh. “Eddie.” He breathed, hands coming up to brush through the other man’s curls. Eddie relaxed further into the touch, turning his head again. Buck was looking at him intently. He must’ve found something to give him the ok, his hand reaching up to stroke Eddie’s cheek. “Can I kiss you?” He murmured.

“Please.” Eddie whispered, a hint of desperation in his voice. He didn’t even have time to be ashamed, Buck pulling him closer and kissing him gently.

It was...unbelievable. He didn’t know how else to describe it. Everything he’d ever dreamed about for so long was happening. Buck’s lips were soft and yet confident, guiding the kiss but leaving Eddie room to take control if he wanted. Oddly enough, he didn’t. He was straddling the Alpha’s lap on the edge of his own bed while in heat and having the best kiss of his life. Yet he couldn’t even start to feel ashamed, not feeling out of control but rather not having to be in control.

When they broke apart, Buck’s eyes were searching his face for any clues as to if Eddie was doing ok. Eddie was aware that his scent, for probably the first time ever, was fully happy Omega. No hints of fear or apprehension, nothing darkening his scent. Buck’s eyes softened the moment he caught whiff of it, but his hands came up to cup either side of Eddie’s face. Eddie didn’t even have time to worry before Buck spoke.

“Sweetheart,” and oh. That made Eddie’s insides melt. “You’re in heat. As much as I liked what we just did, this might not be the best time. I don’t want you to do anything that-“

“No.” Eddie interrupted, shaking his head. Buck quieted. “Buck, I’m lucid. I know what’s happening. I want it. Fuck, Buck, I’ve wanted you for two years. Please don’t take it away now. Unless you don’t actually want it.” A tinge of fear lined his words. “My out of heat self won’t regret this. The only difference is that my usual me would be far too fucking scared to say this.”

Buck truly softened then. After searching Eddie’s face again, he murmured, “Baby...” he nuzzled along the Omega’s jaw. “I had no idea you felt like that. Might have done something like this sooner if so.”

There was something about Buck’s voice when he spoke like this, a softly dominating purr, which made Eddie feel weak. And fuck, he liked it. He wouldn’t all the time. But sometimes, he’d want to be weak like this. Eddie shivered. “I was scared. Didn’t think you could possibly want me.”

Buck rumbled softly, planting a small kiss on his cheek. “Eddie.” His voice was serious. “I love you. I have for almost a year now. You and Chris, I want you to be my family.” It might be early for words like these, but Eddie didn’t care. They were fully grown adults who knew what they wanted.

“I want that.” He said softly. The three words were hard for him to say no matter how much he wanted to and he gave a pleading look to Buck. “I...feel the same.”

Buck seemed to understand. Especially knowing Eddie’s past. He just kissed him again softly. “Don’t worry about saying it until you’re ready.” He said softly but firmly. “These are big steps to take. You’ve been too badly hurt. It’s ok. Say it in your own time.” 

Eddie ducked his head to hide in Buck’s neck, grateful for the Alpha’s understanding. He pressed a soft kiss to the skin there and got a soft rumble in response. Eddie then took his first up close and unashamed whiff of Buck’s scent. A soft citrus and woodsy smell entered his nostrils, the scent of his happy Alpha. He purred for the first time in years, feeling happy and safe. 

“Te amo, Buck.” He said softly. It was less frightening to say in Spanish. By the way Buck held him closer, he knew he understood. They simply held each other for a long moment before Buck spoke again.

“What do you want, baby?” Eddie looked up with a questioning hum. “Now.” Buck clarified. “During your heat. There’s a lot of stuff we can figure out later, but this lucid period is going to fade soon. Tell me what you want.”

He was right. Eddie could feel the tendrils of his heat creeping back on him. In another half hour, he’d be swept away and probably wouldn’t be lucid for days. With that in mind, he said firmly, “I want you to be my Alpha.” He wanted Buck so much and he was also scared to deal with his heat on his own. “However you’re comfortable with that.” His confidence dimmed as he felt unsure with what Buck would want.

Buck, reliable as ever, got straight to the point. “Do you want sex?” He asked bluntly and Eddie was grateful. Days ago the idea might have terrified him. And it still did, but he trusted Buck. Fuck, he wanted this.

“Yes.” That was easy enough, but it wasn’t complete. “Maybe not all time. I might prefer just being held.” Eddie was surprisingly tactile, especially during his heat. Shannon had hated it. “But I want it.”

Buck rumbled softly, brushing his hands through Eddie’s hair. “I want it too, baby. Do you have supplies?”

Eddie flushed. “I have lube, but I don’t have condoms. Never needed them. I’m sorry.” He felt unsure on where that left them.

“It’s ok, Eddie.” Buck didn’t seem too bothered. “If you want I can run out and get them.”

Eddie was clean and he knew Buck was too. They’d just recently had their physical (something Eddie had been surprised that he’d passed considering suppressant poisoning was in his system). He also knew Buck was always careful, that’s just how the Alpha was. There was also no real worry that Eddie was going to get pregnant, not with the toxin report sitting innocently on his desk. But Eddie wanted to start out with protection. Maybe he just wanted to protect himself for a little longer.

“At least to start off with, it might not be a bad idea.” Eddie finally answered.

Buck nodded. “At some point before the next wave hits, I’ll run out and get them. Is there anything you want to discuss before it hits?”

“Not now.” Eddie felt split open, so much having happened in the last half hour that it was overwhelming. He needed to breathe.

Unsurprisingly, Buck seemed to understand and simply pressed a kiss to Eddie’s lips, something the Omega returned easily. “Ok. What do you want to do now?”

It didn’t take much thinking to decide. Eddie smiled shyly. “I want to build a nest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the long awaited smut! I was planning on extending this chapter to when Eddie makes the nest, but this felt like the best stopping place. Nesting will be the beginning of next chapter.


	8. The Nest and the Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie builds a nest and goes into heat. Buck is a devoted Alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are! Sooner than expected, so surprise!
> 
> I’m going to explain things in the end notes better, but here are things to know off the bat.
> 
> 1). Yes, this is one of the smut scenes.   
> 2). So. There is something like subspace in here, but different. It’s called heatspace. So when Eddie is in heat, he gets a bit subby. Especially in this chapter. Next chapter, he’ll be a bit more himself. Here, he’s simply sweet and compliant.  
> 3). All the consent. I promise.  
> 4). Eddie has a bit of a praise kink. And a competent kink.  
> 5). I tried to make parts of it humorous. 😂😂 LMK what you think.   
> 6). This is long. With vital anatomy lessons concerning how a/b/o bodies work. 
> 
> Ok! Head to the story and the end notes now!

The moment Eddie had declared that he wanted to make a nest, Buck got up with a grin and went out to the main area of the house. He returned within just a couple of minutes with armfuls of blankets and pillows, dumping them onto Eddie’s bed. At the eyebrow raise from the Omega, the Alpha just shrugged shamelessly. “We thought that’d be good to at least start off with.”

“At least start...” There had to be a dozen blankets and maybe twice as many pillows. Eddie wordlessly reached out and stroked one of the blankets.

Omegas were all different, like any individual, but they had some things in common. It was rare to find an Omega without a major sweet tooth for one thing. Especially during their heat, in which all sweet things in the vicinity were likely to be consumed. It was also rare to find one that didn’t like soft things. Eddie was both. He liked sweets probably far more than was best for his six pack and he would quickly melt just at the touch of soft clothes. This amount of soft blankets that would be piled under him to make his heat go smoother? 

Eddie wasn’t sure he’d ever want to leave the nest. 

He looked up at Buck wordlessly. The Alpha was leaning against the doorway with a smile. They rarely needed words to understand how the other was feeling, which was good because Eddie was terrible at communicating about himself. Obviously now was one of those times, because Buck seemed to understand what Eddie was feeling.

“This is going to be one fucking huge nest.” Was what Eddie wound up saying.

Buck’s grin spread wider. “You deserve the best, Eds.” And Eddie fucking blushed. Buck straightened and looked at his watch. “Hey, why don’t I run over to the drugstore now before you get any closer to your wave? I’ll just go to the one on the corner and be back in like 10 minutes.”

Eddie pulled the blankets closer to him and nodded, starting to unfold them as he assessed his body. “That’d be best. I’m probably like 20 minutes out.” 

Buck nodded and came over to kiss Eddie’s cheek, the Omega turning to make it a real kiss. “Mmm. Anything else you want while I’m out?”

“Anything sweet. You know what I like.”

“I’ll get everything, just in case.” Buck laughed and disappeared down the hallway before Eddie could figure out if he was serious. Like it mattered. If Buck wanted to do something, he was going to do it. Period.

Eddie really wanted to start on the nest, but he was also extremely aware that he and Buck were preparing to have sex and he wanted to take care of the necessities before indulging himself with nest building. With that in mind, he reluctantly tore himself away and headed into the bathroom.

He didn’t need to clean internally. Fluids from his heat had pretty much taken care of that. Besides, he didn’t have supplies for it even if he’d wanted to. But if he was going to be spreading his legs for the Alpha of his dreams, he was going to fucking look his best.

Thinking of it in those terms was weird, so he told himself to shut up.

Omegas typically weren’t extremely hairy, but Eddie had more than most. He wasn’t ashamed of it, but he did spend at least half of his time in the bathroom trimming what hair he did have between his legs simply for maintenance. 

And well, if he happened to knick himself on the balls because he didn’t have the best razor for this job...well, that was for no one but himself and the walls of the bathroom to know. Thank God he didn’t have close neighbors.

Afterwards, he washed himself carefully then looked into the bathroom mirror. He pulled his shirt off, finally getting too itchy from something clinging to his skin. He looked over his body in consideration. Eddie knew he looked good. He was proud of the body that he’d worked hard for. He’d started working out as a teen to disguise his Omega body, the soft curve of his hips that were typically referred to as “child rearing hips” and the general softness associated with Omegas. By the time his military experience and then his firefighter career rolled around, he enjoyed working out and shoring up his body. And even though his designation was now in the open, he had no plans of stopping. Thankfully, habits like consistent working out were standard with his job.

He couldn’t see anything that needed to be taken care of. It helped that Buck had seen him in as little as his boxers. He wasn’t actually all that nervous about his Alpha seeing him fully naked. As he was fairly insecure about pretty much everything else at the moment, it was a relief to have one less thing to worry about. 

He hadn’t had sex in-well, ten years if you counted his pregnancy. After he had given birth to Chris, he and Shannon weren’t exactly on great terms up until the day she left. She’d been the only person he’d ever been with. Afterwards, a mix of shame and guilt kept him from ever seeking the company of another. He’d never sported a large sex drive anyway, so it wasn’t too difficult, especially with Chris to look after. He wasn’t going to bring a random man or woman into his life and risk his son.

Sexuality and gender identity were slightly different but also fairly the same when designations came to play. Someone could have an attraction based on one or all of the primary and secondary genders, female/male and alpha/beta/omega. Of course, the primary genders (female/male) weren’t limited to two, including all gender identities such as non binary and gender fluid. The secondary genders (Alpha/Beta/Omega) didn’t have variations, but someone could-like Eddie-choose to pretend to be another gender, and there was such a thing as non presenting, where there was no designation after the person reached full maturity. That was extremely rare.

Eddie was bisexual, attracted to both men and women, although since an emotional connection was almost vital to have happen first he could possibly have identified as demisexual. He wasn’t actually all that worried about labels, not when it came to sexuality. He wasn’t someone who was only attracted to Alphas, but he preferred it. Often, attraction to secondary genders had more to do with the individual characteristics than the gender itself. Eddie liked having someone to take care of him, to help him not always have to be solely in charge. He didn’t like actually being the dominant one, only pulling his own dominance for his job. But he wasn’t exactly submissive, preferring to be on equal footing with his partner, which was hard to find Alphas willing for sometimes. 

He and Buck were on equal footing. And that’s what made him breathe slightly easier at the thought of being together. He and Shannon hadn’t been on equal footing and he’d paid for it. Buck would be good to him. And he would be the best that he could be for Buck.

With that, Eddie exited the bathroom with a new resolution. He’d thought of his ex-wife way too much over the past week or so. He didn’t want to spend any more mental and emotional energy on her. He had a real chance with Buck. He had the Alpha of his dreams coming back to him at any minute. He was going to fucking enjoy this.

It had been over ten minutes by now, but Eddie knew quite well that Buck always got sidetracked by something and wasn’t worried about it. His heat still felt a little bit off, maybe by another twenty minutes. Enough time to make a nest and prepare to not move for days.

With that in mind, he got to work on his nest by first throwing everything off of the bed. He started with a foundation of pillows, then hesitated. In reality, his bed likely couldn’t handle two large men fucking for days on top of it. It was just too small. So he moved everything to the middle of the floor and started over again.

That was much better. After the pillows, Eddie laid a fluffy, folded comforter down. It didn’t cover the whole nest, but it didn’t need to. He added several other blankets, both folded and not, to the pile, fluffing them to his satisfaction. 

He’d started laying the pillows and blankets along the edges to raise them up when he heard Buck unlock the door. A small smile stretched across his face and he sat up, feeling a lot of emotions come on at once. But they were good.

He heard rustling in the other room before footsteps approached his room and Buck leaned against the doorway. The Alpha raised an eyebrow at the nest on the floor and Eddie leveled him with a raised eyebrow of his own.

“You seriously think my bed could’ve handled five or so days of the both of us on it? It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world either.”

Buck chuckled and shrugged in agreement. “Fair enough. What can I help you with?”

“Ummm...” Eddie paused to think. “Anything that means that we won’t have to leave the bed any more than necessary.”

“Right. Food, bottled water...” Buck vanished down the hallway again and Eddie turned back to his nest. He arranged and rearranged things until they were just right, not adding anything new until what was before him was perfect. 

Finally, just as sweat began to bead at his brow-a noticeable sign of his heat wave coming back-Eddie finished the final touches and sat back. He wiped his forehead and examined the nest, feeling pride well up in him. For a first time nest, it was actually extremely good. He was almost afraid to lay in it, afraid that it’d fall apart. But it looked so comfortable and comforting, he couldn’t resist.

Upon first laying down in it, Eddie’s immediate conclusion was that he never wanted to get up again. Screw his job, screw his life, he didn’t want to ever have to leave this nest. Well...Chris and Buck could join him, but still. He’d been denied and denied himself this comfort for so long. Never again.

Buck appeared in the doorway again, carrying things. He paused and a soft smile crossed his face as he looked at Eddie. “Is it ok if I come in?”

The Alpha obviously knew better than to approach an Omega’s nest without their permission. It was a safe place for them and anyone coming in without their blessing was infringing on a basic need for safety and comfort. Eddie smiled softly and nodded, rolling over onto his back from his side, watching as Buck set various non perishable foods (and sweets!) out alongside the nest with water bottles. He also placed a box of condoms so that it was within easy reach and put the bag to the side. They could deal with it later. “Do you want me to grab the lube?”

Eddie thought for a moment. Yeah there was going to be a lot of slick, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Some waves there wasn’t as much and it was always better to have too much slick and lube to ease the way than to not have enough. “Yeah. Right nightstand drawer, in the back.”

Buck walked around to the right side of the bed and rummaged through the nightstand, coming up with a bottle triumphantly. “There we go.” He placed it next to the condoms, which Eddie had taken a look at and rather happily realized that he was going to be well fucked by the time this was over.

Eddie could feel his heat creeping closer, slick slowly starting. He wasn’t outwardly wet yet, but he was going to be soon. Proximity to his Alpha and the relief of having a nest had finally driven the wave closer. 

Feeling slightly shy, Eddie looked up at Buck. “You can join me if you want. And lose the shirt.” He had seen Buck topless before, but now he finally got to actually look.

Buck grinned and easily shrugged off his shirt. Eddie shamelessly drank it in for the moment he had before Buck was climbing into the nest with him.

The Omega looked up at the other, who was crouched over him. He lifted his head and Buck met him halfway, sharing a slow, exploring kiss. The Alpha was crouched over on all fours, not touching Eddie very much but that was actually ok. They were starting out slow, easing into it. Well, as slow as Eddie’s heat would allow.

“Baby...” Buck hummed against his lips, pulling back a little. Eddie almost chased him, but realized that Buck was trying to talk to him and resisted, blinking to get himself back into reality. A sense of unease swept through him. Had Buck changed his mind? Was everything ok? “Hey it’s ok.” Buck reassured him, probably seeing a hint of panic on his face. “I just want to ask if there is anything you want me to not do.”

Eddie took a moment to center himself, but came up with an embarrassing blank. Lack of experience and lack of variation during his time with Shannon had left sex pretty unexplored. “Ummm...I don’t know.” He confessed. “Just, no humiliation or degrading. Or like, pain. But other than that...”

“Definitely not, I’m even not into that.” Buck reassured. “And that’s ok, Eddie. Just as we go along, tell me if you don’t like something or want me to stop. Ok?”

“Mhmm. Ok.” Eddie’s fingers gently ran down Buck’s chest, exploring the area under his touch. Buck’s muscles were solid, but the skin was softer than the Omega expected. The Alpha hummed at the touch and shifted his weight to return the motion, fingers exploring Eddie’s chest and belly. They found the tiny, barely there stretch marks nestled in Eddie’s abs, stroking them absentmindedly. It was a little odd, but Eddie didn’t dislike it. His own hands moved around Buck’s torso to his back, blindly exploring.

This carried on for several minutes as Eddie’s heat started to build, getting to know each other. At some point Buck lost his pants and they were both in boxers. They lazily kissed and nuzzled along each other’s jaws, not quite moving to each other’s necks. That was another level of intimacy, as their primary scent and mating glands were buried at the base of their necks, just above their collarbones. 

Every designation had scent glands on both sides of their necks and both wrists. The mating gland, the one the Alpha (and sometimes even the Omega) would bite to mate with the other, was located on the left side of the neck. There were scent glands in the pubic region too, though Eddie could never understand the need for that. Omegas had heat glands, located in whatever passage was typically used for sex. With female Omegas, that was the vaginal passage and with males it was the anal. There was no fixed number of glands. The heat glands provided maximum pleasure during sex, acting as multiple prostates since they were extremely sensitive. They also were a large source of the slick produced during sex, particularly heats, so if an Omega only had one or two, the slick from the other reproductive organs wasn’t likely to cut it and it would be a strict necessity to have lube at all times. Fortunately, Eddie had five.

Eddie knew that if they wanted to explore each other’s scents at the source, he’d have to be the one to initiate it. Buck wasn’t going to cross that line without the knowledge that Eddie was comfortable with it. So with a deep breath, he tucked his nose into Buck’s neck, assured by the deep and happy hum the Alpha let out. 

His nose was flooded with the same citrus and wood scent as before. Eddie concentrated on it, trying to separate the different smells. Cedar, he was pretty sure. Maybe pine too. With a smoky undertone. The citrus smell could be anything, but there was definitely hints of orange and lemon. It was surprisingly delightful. It wrapped around the Omega and gave him a sense of safety, of belonging. Overwhelmed but in the best way possible, he lifted his nose a bit but stayed in the area. He realized that Buck had also moved to his neck and he tilted his head to the side for better access. 

Buck stayed there a surprisingly short amount of time before moving, reaching out of the nest into the bags. “Nearly forgot the reason I was even late.” He hummed.

Eddie was intrigued but also too achy and hot to want to move. Buck moved his hands back into sight and the Omega saw a teethguard still in its package in his palms. Buck held it up with a slightly bashful look. “I didn’t want to risk it.” He explained. “We only just got together today. Even without that, I don’t want to bond you without your permission. Not worth the risk.”

Eddie stared at him in simple shock. He hadn’t even thought about it. As much as he wanted a bite one day, and Buck was certainly proving himself a worthy mate, it was way too soon. Accidental bonding tore people apart. He didn’t want to risk anything with their new relationship. And neither did Buck.

Fuck. Eddie was pretty sure that he had a competence kink. Cause the whole responsible Alpha thing? Was fucking hot. 

He finally just nodded in response with a small smile, murmuring, “Thanks.” He could articulate it better later. Buck just smiled back and carefully placed the guard over his teeth. It was practically invisible, but it served the purpose. Buck’s canines were dulled and so were the rest of his teeth, making a bite impossible. 

Things started to move faster after Buck crouched back down. As much as Eddie wished they could take forever to get to know each other physically, his heat wasn’t giving them an option. He was now outwardly slick, the smell of his Alpha ramping up his body’s reaction. Little flames of heat licked at his insides and tiny cramps were coming back. Buck’s eyes were getting darker and their loud and fast breathing filled the room.

They lost their boxers and after a brief moment to admire each other, Buck laid his body over Eddie’s for full skin-to-skin contact and kissed the fuck out of him. More than happy to let him direct, the Omega just wrapped his arms around the Alpha and let himself be devoured. He fully relaxed and his heat wave finally, fully snapped into place. He could feel the shift and he could feel the cloud taking over his brain. For the first time ever, he welcomed it.

Buck could obviously smell it, a low Alpha rumble coming from his chest. He pulled back from the kiss, leaving Eddie’s lips wet and kiss swollen, and buried his nose into Eddie’s neck, giving the sensitive gland kitten licks. 

And oh fuck, that felt good. Eddie gasped softly, tilting his head to the side and letting the tingling feeling wash over him. It was both relaxing and pleasurable, letting him chase a intimate high that didn’t require a hand between his legs. Any scent gland was sensitive and the neck glands were used commonly for something just like this, an intimate bonding experience and a sexual pleasure all at once.

The licks became stronger and more attentive, a small suck on occasion driving the Omega crazy. His hips had started to move a little against Buck’s, not grinding exactly but an involuntary movement driven by pleasure. Breathy pants left his lips and his hands clutched at Buck’s shoulders. 

To be completely honest, he could probably come from this, but he didn’t want to. There was too much that he wanted to happen and it would only be a brief relief. So Eddie nudged at Buck, panting, “Baby...baby, please...”

His Alpha took pity on him and released his scent gland. Eddie gave a soft whine of both relief and protest, not sure what to do with himself. Buck didn’t leave him wanting, trailing a hand gently down his torso to warn him of the direction of his attention before wrapping it around Eddie’s cock.

Eddie’s hips snapped up into the feeling, a startled gasp and moan leaving his lips. His head tipped back against the nest but he kept his eyes open, focusing on Buck. The Alpha was looking down at him with a gentle fondness, betrayed only by his darkened eyes and-Eddie glanced to see-his own excitement. He managed to pull himself up to kiss Buck deeply, the other man willingly returning it. The hand that wasn’t touching his cock ran softly through Eddie’s curls and that felt surprisingly relaxing. 

Short of touching the back of his neck, Buck was pulling out every trick to relax Eddie, stopping him from overthinking but not going so far as to render the Omega incapable of speech, thought, or consent, which was what a grip to his nape would do. And Eddie was endlessly appreciative of both sides of that. 

Buck’s touch left him and he whined in protest, but relaxed when he realized that the Alpha was only reaching for the lube. He laid back and spread his legs, taking a deep breath. Eddie trusted Buck with his life, but this was scary for him.

He’s not Shannon. He’s not going to make fun of you or degrade you. It’s ok. A tiny voice in his mind whispered and Eddie clung to it gratefully. 

Buck turned back to him and hummed approvingly. “Good, Eds.” Even the one word of praise made butterflies spark in Eddie’s stomach. Buck smoothed a hand over the Omega’s belly gently. “Check in with me, baby. You doing ok?”

Eddie nodded immediately. He was nervous as fuck, but also excited and ready. This felt much more monumental than intimate heat sex. This was a stepping off point. “Yeah, I’m good.” He managed. He knew that as soon as the Alpha laid his hands on him, his head would get fuzzy again, so he took the opportunity to say, “I love you.”

Buck’s eyes softened impossibly further. “I love you too, sweetheart. God, you’re so perfect.” Eddie’s eyelids fluttered as he relaxed even further into the nest. With that, Buck’s hand reached down and a finger pressed lightly against his wet hole.

Eddie’s head tilted back as a low moan left his lips, heatspace slowly settling back in on his mind. Buck’s finger played with the tender muscles for a moment before slowly pressing the finger in. He simply left it there for a moment as the walls around it clenched and slowly started to loosen. When he began to slowly thrust it in and out, Eddie’s hips jolted in a desperate attempt to get more. Buck could feel at least one heat gland already and he knew that once he was inside Eddie, he would likely be hitting all six pleasure points without even moving. The Omega was going to get railed. 

With that, he added another finger. Despite Eddie having used a toy the night before, he was still extremely tight, so it was a definite stretch. Judging by Eddie’s soft moans from above him, it was a good thing. Buck still was careful to open him as much as possible before adding a third. 

By the time he finally added a fourth, for safety’s sake, Eddie was practically shaking. Every nerve was on fire and every touch encouraged more noises to spill from his lips. All the sweet praises that dropped from Buck’s lips sent him further in a haze. He was probably dripping by this point, he was so horny. The heat horniness had completely caught up with him.

“Buck...Alpha, please...” He begged, more than ready to get this show moving. This part of the heat had always been the scariest part of his heat. He was the most submissive, the furtherest into heatspace, and the most horny. He was at his most vulnerable, and more like to act like a sweet and soft Omega than he would at any other time. He’d always viewed it as a threat to himself.

Though the fear wasn’t as omnipresent with Buck, he was looking forward to getting to a place in heat where he felt more himself. 

Buck didn’t seem to want to wait either, his hand scrambling for the condom and quickly fitting it over himself. Eddie was present enough to notice that he’d gotten the kind that would still allow him to knot and he purred happily. Buck’s smile stretched and he couldn’t seem to resist leaning down to devour his mouth.

Eddie gladly accepted the kiss, but his body was too riled up to wait for long. He pulled at Buck, saying, “Come on...please...”

Buck seemed just as impatient, slicking himself up quickly and lining up with Eddie’s entrance. The Omega took a deep breath and relaxed, holding his legs as far apart as he could. Buck pressed a soft kiss to his chest before finally pushing in. 

And oh. Fucking hell.

Buck wasn’t small. He wasn’t monster sized, but he was definitely above average. (From what Eddie knew, anyway. So sue him, he had had to look at dildos after all. And he was a fully grown man with the Internet.) Eddie felt like his breath had been punched out of him in the best way possible and he clutched at Buck’s shoulders. His legs wrapped around the Alpha’s waist to hold him close once he was fully sheathed. Buck obliged, staying in one place. His breathing had picked up and there was already a faint sheen of sweat across his shoulders.

Fuck that was hot.

Eddie finally relaxed his legs a little, the little pain that had come with the first time of being filled mostly vanishing and the pleasure taking over. Unable to speak, mind too hazed over to do anything but repeat to himself over and over that he’d chosen a good Alpha, Eddie squeezed his legs a couple times, trying to signal Buck to move. The Alpha got the message and slowly pulled back, both letting out louder moans. It still ached a tiny bit, but it was the good kind, only adding to the pleasure. It lit sparks inside of him and made him never want to let Buck go. 

Everything was a bit of a blur after that. A very sexy, delicious blur which Eddie scrambled to remember any conscious scraps that he could, desperate to remember this time as much as possible when he was out of heat. But once Buck had gotten a rhythm and knew that Eddie was enjoying it, he was fucked within an inch of his sanity. The steady, hard, fast drive of Buck’s hips had his eyes rolling back in his head and his hands scrambling to clutch at something, usually Buck’s enviably large biceps. 

What drove him even more crazy than that was when the Alpha would be balls deep in him and instead of thrusting he’d grind in a slow circle, torturing Eddie’s heat glands and prostate without end. Those were the times when Buck got long scratches up and down his back, Eddie’s voice inevitably becoming louder and breathier the sensation continued, unable to pause long enough to breathe. Buck would have to pause to allow the Omega room to breathe, usually switching to thrusts.

Eddie’s orgasm took him by surprise, the coil of heat in his gut suddenly releasing. The Omega cried out with the force of it, clutching at Buck as the waves of his orgasm crashed into him. Buck let out a loud groan, no doubt at Eddie’s sudden clenching around him and likely at the added wetness too. The Alpha didn’t seem to care that Eddie’s stomach was messed with cum now, leaning forward to messily kiss him as he continued to thrust.

Eddie was well aware that it would take at least three orgasms for his heat wave to subside enough for him to rest, so he laid back and returned the kisses as best as he could in his foggy state, Buck having to keep his legs from splaying uncomfortably since Eddie always consisted of jelly after an orgasm. 

With Eddie’s heightened sensitivity and Buck’s wait, it was actually a short time before Eddie could feel the tell tale tightening in his belly. Around the same time, Buck groaned and pulled back a bit, hitting at a different angle as he warned, “I’m gonna come, Eds.”

Eddie couldn’t speak, his tongue not cooperating, but he managed to get his legs under control enough to clamp around Buck’s waist and squeeze, signaling that he wanted it. He fucking needed it. Fortunately, Buck was apparently an expert in fucked out Eddie communication and drove several sharp, deliberate thrusts directly where he knew three heat glands were located.

Eddie came again just as Buck did, the Alpha locking his knot solidly inside of the other. Eddie hadn’t felt it go in, too focused on his own pleasure, but now he could feel it locked inside of him and it was overwhelming. He felt split open, struggling to breathe evenly with the new sensation. Yeah, of course he’d been knotted before, that was how he’d conceived Chris. But this was better, bigger but more natural. Eddie didn’t know how to describe it to himself.

He came back to himself a bit and found Buck placing soft kisses down his jaw. When the Alpha realized the man under him was more present, he pulled back a bit and looked Eddie in the eye.

“Hey sweetheart. There you are. You need another one or you good?” His voice was gentle. “You look tired.”

Eddie took stock of his body, which was still in a bit of shock from what just happened. He could’ve said he was fine and gone to sleep, which he seriously needed. But the ache in his gut told him otherwise. He needed another release. Just one, and he’d likely be able to get a few hours of reprieve.

“‘Nother...sorry...must be tired too...” his words were slurring, both exhaustion and heatspace making it hard to sound more coherent.

Buck rumbled softly and shook his head. “Mmmm, I’m ok sweetheart. I’ll take care of you then we can both rest.” Eddie nodded tiredly, eyelids already drooping. “Need you to stay with me, babe. Just a little longer.” Buck reached for one of the water bottles and opened it, bringing it to Eddie’s lips. “Drink for me real quick, love. You need to stay hydrated.”

Eddie managed to comply, realizing that he had needed it more than he’d known as he downed most of the bottle. Buck praised him and Eddie purred a little. Such a good Alpha, taking care of him. The smile that crossed Buck’s lips made his half present brain wonder if he’d said that aloud. He had no chance to check before Buck dipped his head down and latched onto the neck glands he’d been attending to earlier into their experience.

Eddie’s eyes rolled back and stayed rolled back as a hoarse moan left his lips. Buck could feel his head relax further back even though the rest of his body tightened up. Buck knew perfectly well that Eddie would be able to come like this and also knew that even if they hadn’t already been knotted together Eddie would be too sore to be penetrated so soon. This felt surprisingly more intimate too. 

It wasn’t longer than another five minutes before Buck felt Eddie shudder in his grasp, breathing picking up and a soft whimper leaving him. Buck looked down to make sure and yep, he’d come again. Looking up again, Buck saw that Eddie was almost fast asleep. 

Though the Alpha would’ve preferred that Eddie drink more and even eat, he didn’t have the heart to try and wake him. He’d gotten fluids, that was important for now. Noting that they needed to bring towels to clean up with, Buck used his discarded shirt to clean the both of them up. 

Then, as they were still tied together, Buck arranged their bodies so that both were laying as comfortably as possible. He held Eddie close and kissed his head, closing his eyes. Even though he wasn’t as worn out as Eddie, he needed to keep his strength up for the upcoming days. 

There they slept, wrapped up in each other and truly content. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here are some things to know, if you’re interested.
> 
> 1). Female Alphas do not have penises in my universe. They do have a knot though that retracts into the body when they aren’t using it. So while Eddie has been knotted before, this is his first time being fully penetrated.
> 
> Because of this, whenever Shannon knotted Eddie, he’d have to be presenting (on his stomach with his knees tucked under him) to make gravity do the job. That’s how he got pregnant. 
> 
> Any sex before then? Well, I never decided what happened. I highly doubt that Eddie was top at any point, mostly because of Shannon’s viewpoint of their statuses. So yeah! Feel free to use your imagination if you want.
> 
> 2). I meant to put Eddie’s scent in there, but I forgot. Next chapter I’ll say. What do you guys think it could be?
> 
> 3). Any questions that you guys have, you can ask! I’ll answer them all, I have this elaborately planned out (not giving spoilers).
> 
> 4). Do I need to edit the tags at all??? Right now, my brain isn’t working at all because I’m not feeling great. So let me know!
> 
> 5). Buck, as we know, has lots of experience. I’m figuring a lot of Omegas when he was younger, but by the time Eddie came around he was with Betas.
> 
> Kudos and comments feed me! Thank you for y’all’s sweet comments on the last chapter!  
> Feel free to drop your expectations and questions in the comments! I like hearing your interpretation of the story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pt. 2 of Eddie’s heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the soft times while they last 😈
> 
> No seriously, please enjoy lol. Things start happening in the next chapters.

Buck woke up to soft noises in his ear and a squirming Eddie in his arms. Turning his head, he could make out in the faint morning light Eddie’s face, blown pupils looking back at him. 

Oh. Another wave.

“Hey sweetheart.” Buck said softly, getting a grunt that turned into a whimper. Eddie had a thick layer of sweat on his back, his face flushed. From the heat radiating from his body and the sickly pallor to the Omega’s skin, it was clear two things were happening. 

For one thing, it was obviously another heat wave. They weren’t called heats for nothing. He may not be at his peak yet, where he’d likely go days without awareness, but he was still far enough into the cycle to have it hit harshly. For another thing, Buck was willing to bet that this was a continuation of what had driven Eddie to call him before. It had been too much to hope that it was gone just cause of a little care. Eddie’s body was still struggling through his first heat in nine years.

“Oh baby.” Buck reached for one of the water bottles and opened it, pressing it to Eddie’s lips. The Omega drank greedily, hardly pausing to breathe as he downed the entire thing. “You with me, Eddie?”

The Omega just softly whimpered and tucked his head into Buck’s neck, inhaling the scent. Eddie must be in the throws of his heat, unable to do much beyond exist and try to ride through his wave. His speech would be completely gone and while he might know what was going on around him, he wouldn’t really react to anything except in the most basic of gestures.

Which presented a slight problem. Most shared cycles, the participants would be fucking like rabbits. But this wasn’t a normal situation. Eddie didn’t want sex every wave. He’d said something about it, saying that he might just want to be held and that he didn’t want sex all the time. Which was fine, except with Eddie nonverbal Buck had no idea how he was supposed to know which one his Omega wanted. 

After a few minutes of listening to Eddie’s soft and miserable noises, Buck decided to just cuddle the Omega and let him make the move to show him if he wanted sex. He wasn’t going to do it the other way around, that was for sure. So he shifted Eddie around carefully, mumbling soft words in the Omega’s ear as he whined in protest at being moved. When he finished moving them, Eddie was lying on top of his chest with his head tucked in the Alpha’s neck. Buck knew that technically, Eddie was only slightly smaller than he was and more stocky. But right now, he seemed much smaller and softer in his arms, whines fading as he realized the comfort of his position. His breathing evened out a little more as Buck wrapped his arms securely around him. He made no move to try and access Buck’s cock, which showed this was the best action. Instead, he just nestled further into the Alpha’s neck with a soft sound.

Buck tilted his head and took a deep, steady breath of Eddie’s scent. Everyday it was becoming clearer, the suppressants dulling it further down than a Beta’s, the heat making it so much stronger again. His smell was sweet, like an apple pie with undertones of vanilla and lemon. The tiniest hint of cinnamon was there too, if he concentrated. Buck wondered if that was there when Eddie was out of heat. During a heat, or a rut, there was always a hint of something that was never in the normal scent. Buck was pretty certain that he’d caught whiffs of lemon and vanilla over the week leading up to Eddie’s heat, so he was pretty sure it must be the cinnamon.

Either way, he would have time to find out. That thought warmed him, the idea of spending enough time with Eddie to see what the Omega had been too scared to show before. 

Buck didn’t know how much time had passed by the time Eddie’s wave passed. They simply had stayed huddled together, Eddie’s face buried in Buck’s neck and the Alpha’s arms keeping him close. He’d hated not being able to do anything about the Omega’s soft whimpers and tremors, but was glad that Eddie seemed to actively seek his presence and comfort.

By the time Eddie’s skin started cooling off and the tremors slowed, Buck needed to pee and he knew they both desperately needed to eat. But he took a moment to inhale the Omega’s sweet scent, smelling and feeling Eddie come back to himself. The other man stirred a little and shifted his head, nuzzling against Buck’s jaw.

“You back, Eddie?” Buck murmured, stroking the other’s hair gently. 

Eddie gave a soft hum, pulling back a little and looking around a little blearily. He rubbed his eyes and stretched a little, then huddled back down onto Buck’s chest. “Mhmm.”

Buck tried not to think about how frankly adorable that sight had been, Eddie moving almost like a blind kitten. He rubbed a hand down Eddie’s back. “We need to get something to eat, baby. I have to pee too. Can we do that before your next wave comes?”

Eddie groaned a little. “Do we have to? It’s comfy here.”

Buck smothered a grin. “If not now, when? I don’t know how far out your next wave is, but we both need energy for it.”

Eddie grunted but rolled over enough so that Buck could get up. “Soon.” He mumbled. “It’s faster when I don’t get off.”

Buck hummed in understanding, looking Eddie over. He looked exhausted and still a little fuzzy, a soft glaze over his eyes. He was fidgeting a tiny bit, but not nearly as bad as he had been during his wave. His face was still a little flushed as well. Buck rested a hand on Eddie’s chest and rubbed soft and slow circles into the heated skin, feeling a soft purr leave Eddie’s chest and the other man slowly relaxing. His skin was still warm, but not worryingly. 

“How about...” Buck kissed Eddie’s jaw and relished that the Omega leaned into it. “I go get some food for us. You just relax, do what you need to. We have snacks nearby for later, when your wave doesn’t really stop. But we could use a real meal.”

Eddie sank further into the nest and nodded tiredly, humming. “Ok.”

Buck pecked his lips gently. “Rest, I’ll be back soon.”

He quickly used the bathroom and then went to cook. In the kitchen, Buck threw together an easy meal. Looking at a clock, he saw that it was early afternoon.He was relieved that he’d thought to contact Bobby on his trip to the store yesterday, arranging for the week off. He hadn’t really explained why, but he was sure that Bobby was able to put it together.

The Alpha made bacon and cheese omelets. Easy, simple, smelled delicious. He could hear the flush of the toilet and the running of water. He could hear Eddie exit the bathroom and he took a moment to scent the air, making sure that the Omega was calm and in no form of distress. There were no notes to Eddie’s scent that alarmed him, so he turned back to cooking.

The omelets weren’t too far from being done when he felt a warmth drape itself across his back and nuzzle into his neck. Buck smiled softly and tilted his head to look at Eddie, whose arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. His scent was mainly tired, but with spikes of heat. 

“You ok?” He asked softly. This felt almost as intimate as anything they’d done in the bedroom, likely because it was the first couple thing to be done out of the bedroom so far.

Eddie gave a soft hum. “Missed you.” He mumbled. “Sorry. Clingy.”

Buck tilted enough to shift Eddie from hugging his back to his front, kissing his head gently. “Not clingy baby, it’s ok.” He kept his arm around Eddie as he took the pan off the burner. From the wish to just be held during a heat wave to the cuddling to this, Buck was realizing exactly how tactile the Omega was. He wondered if this was something that was mainly present during heat or if this cuddly side of Eddie was yet another thing the Omega had been suppressing for years. 

They sat at the table and ate. The omelet was good to have for a cycle breakfast, light but also hardy. Eddie seemed a little more energized, but also relieved when they got back to the bedroom and he could sink back into the nest.Buck climbed in next to him and wrapped his arms around the Omega, glad to hear the soft sigh of contentment. 

“Your wave close, baby?”

Eddie hummed with a nod. “It’ll peak. Don’t think I’ll be aware for a while.”

“What will you need, Eddie?” Buck ran his hands through Eddie’s soft curls.

“You. Just you.” Eddie answered with almost heartbreaking honesty. “I trust you to take care of me.”

The confession was invaluable. They had been together only a couple of days. They had been best friends for two years before, but they’d had rough patches. The lawsuit, Eddie’s fury afterwards, their own rocky start. And even through all of that, Eddie had hidden every hint of vulnerability quickly or completely. This moment marked a change in their relationship even more than anything else had.

Hyperaware of this, Buck gently kissed Eddie, holding him closer. “I’ll take care of you, sweetheart.”

“I know.” The Omega’s dark eyes looked up at him, open and trusting. He moved upwards and Buck met him for a kiss. “I love you.” He settled back against the Alpha’s chest. 

“I love you too, Eddie.” 

Eddie’s heat would peak soon. But for now, they laid together in silence for a while, content to be with each other. 

***

The peak of Eddie’s heat lasted three days. During which the two of them fucked like rabbits and Eddie wasn’t really present for most of it. There were maybe two times where he sought out cuddles rather than sex, but his heat wouldn’t allow him much more than that. For not the first time, Buck wished he was in rut. For one thing, he would be able to keep up with Eddie. Out of rut, he may be only 28, but he still couldn’t get it up every hour. When his cock was too tired to be of much use to the Omega, he was able to get by with nursing the heat glands and fingering. The Alpha made a mental note to run the idea of toys by Eddie. He knew that technically Eddie did have one, but that one would do absolutely nothing for an Omega in the throes of his heat.

Omegas went into heat typically around four times a year, so once every three months. It only lasted a week and a half normally, Eddie’s longer because of the circumstances. By contrast, Alphas only went into rut twice a year. Buck made yet another note to look up tips for the times cycles wouldn’t sync. He didn’t think he was doing badly, but really he didn’t have much experience with this.

On the third day, Eddie’s heat reached a feverish intensity while at the same time slowed. That meant that he was leaving the peak, but also that the next 24 hrs would bring longer waves and-if Buck remembered his google search correctly-more painful ones with the winding down of Eddie’s heat. 

***

Eddie had been trapped inside his head for several days, heat rendering him fairly incapable of speech. For the first time, he wasn’t scared. He remembered all too clearly what these periods had been like with Shannon, unable to communicate his needs and her unwillingness to try to understand him, which resulted in severe neglect by the time his heat finished.

It wasn’t like that now. Buck was different. Though the Alpha was certainly not a mind reader, he was trying his best. He made sure Eddie ate and drank regularly, which was for the best as Eddie never had any idea of what time it was. He cuddled the Omega almost religiously, which to Eddie who’s skin itched and stomach turned with his heat was the best thing of it all, almost like a soothing balm spread over a bruise or wound.

And the sex...well that was fantastic. Even if Eddie wasn’t the most experienced for his age, he still was hardly so new at things that he couldn’t recognize quality. Buck was an amazing lover, and Eddie couldn’t wait for when he was more in his head to try and repay him. For now, he simply embraced without too much question what was happening to him. 

Like when Buck was exploring all of his body again with his lips and worked Eddie up just on the pleasant side of too much.

Or when the Alpha and Omega simply lay with their years tucked into each other’s necks, basking in their combined scents.

Or when he was being fucked within an inch of his sanity or made love to slowly but oh so good.

But the aftercare was something else. Like now. Eddie was still on cloud nine when Buck’s knot deflated and he watched the Alpha leave the room without really registering it. Buck was only gone a minute, coming back in with a damp towel. Eddie was too jelly to put forth any kind of protest when his legs were tilted back and Buck began cleaning his entrance. He didn’t really want to protest, cause it felt nice. The cramps in his back and stomach were consistent with this point in his heat and when the towel moved over his belly he couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief at the coolness. It also was nice to have the tacky feeling cum removed. 

After Buck’s careful cleaning was done, with another clean of his entrance (because Eddie’s nonverbal way of protesting condoms was to throw them across the room-fortunately, Buck hadn’t minded), the Alpha tossed the towel away and settled behind Eddie, spooning him with a soft smile. The Omega relaxed into his arms, relieved that the wave had finally ended. He took note of the dimming light outside the window and came to the realization that his heat would likely end tomorrow. It felt surreal. He had been dreading this period and now he almost didn’t want to leave it. Almost. The cramping, constant horniness, and prolonged periods of no conversation sucked.

Buck’s gentle kiss to his shoulder brought him back to the present. He twisted his head to look at the Alpha, who looked exhausted but pleased. He felt too sleepy to try and express himself too deeply, but he cleared his throat a little. “Love you Buck.” His voice was rough from lack of talking and way too much sex noise, but the sentiment was still there. 

Buck seemed to hear it too, his face softening even further and he leaned forward to kiss Eddie gently. “I love you too baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to drop kudos and comments! All the comments, I love seeing you guys’ thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last day of Eddie’s heat and the boys have some serious conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A one day late birthday present reversed! From me to you with love.
> 
> So there are some chapter warnings for this that I’ll just let you know here. There is a serious conversation regarding past abuse and references to kinda physical abuse? Not really, no one’s laid a hand on. But because of abuse they got hurt?
> 
> Idk just read the chapter 😂
> 
> But largely this is a soft chapter full of the boys loving each other.

Eddie woke that morning to the feeling of someone gently rubbing his back, a soft sigh leaving his lungs at the soothing motion. He tilted his head to look up at Buck, who was watching him with a fond expression. “Morning,” He said groggily, still half asleep.

“Morning baby. Sleep well?”

Eddie nodded and took a mental exam of his body. His voice appeared to be fully back and the ache in his bones was mostly gone. His belly had the dull ache of a final day in heat, but he didn’t feel as hot or had the cramps that he had had for the past week. His ass was sorer than it had ever been, not only truly fucked for the first time in his life but fucked repeatedly for days without end. He figured that he could maybe go another couple of times today, but then it’d just be too much.

Eddie scooted a little closer to the Alpha and relaxed under the continued rubbing of his back. “‘D you sleep ok?” He got out between a yawn.

Buck chuckled and nodded. “I did, thank you. Is your heat gone? I can’t really smell it on you anymore.”

“Last day. The active heat scent is gone, but I’ll have undertones for the next few days.” Eddie looked up at Buck again. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, Buck.”

“I’m glad you didn’t have to. I never imagined this was how we’d confess feelings, but it worked out well.” Buck had a hint of uncertainty cross his face. “You, um...did you mean what you said? I didn’t know what was the heat talking and...” he trailed off.

Eddie wiggled himself so that he could take one of Buck’s hands. “I meant everything.” He said honestly. “It’s like I said then. My out of heat self couldn’t have done it. I don’t have the courage. But my heat self said everything I meant. I’ve been in love with you for two years.”

Buck’s face softened, the uncertainty gone. “I think you’re doing just fine.” He nuzzled a kiss on the back of Eddie’s head. “Ever since I was a dick to you when we first met?”

Eddie chuckled. “Oh yeah, that. You were a dick.” He teased. “I mean, I immediately knew you were the best smelling Alpha-and the best looking-I’d ever been around. Once you stopped being dickish, you were also the nicest. But I probably started falling in love with you when you helped me get help from Carla.”

Buck’s smile grew wider. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. The fact someone cared to do that? You went out of your way, Buck. Everyone did, really, but especially you. And it wasn’t just that. You kept doing it. Getting past my defenses, showing up for me and Christopher.” Eddie felt at a loss for words. Finally he ended with, “That meant everything.”

“And you say you’re bad with words.” Buck sounded almost choked up as his hand moved to stroke Eddie’s hair.

“Well I’ve been told I’m emotionally stunted.”

“You’re not.” Buck said firmly, weaving his fingers through Eddie’s curls. “Just guarded. I’m sorry if I’ve said anything different to make you think of yourself that way, but you’re only protecting yourself.”

“I’m really not good with words.” Eddie answered quietly. “I try, but it always comes out wrong. You’re the first person I don’t feel like I have to watch what I say around. You make it easier.”

“You’re fine with words, to me at least. I talk enough for the both of us anyway.”

“I like it.” That earned him a broad smile. Eddie relaxed further as Buck’s hands gently massaged his shoulders. “I feel like I don’t do enough for you.” Buck made a quizzical noise. “You’re always doing stuff for me. Emotionally, physically, in every way. I never do anything.”

“Baby, doing things for people is my way of loving them. Gift giving is a primary love language for me, it’s important. Gift receiving? It’s nice but it’s not something I need. You give me everything I need, mostly physical touch but also words of affirmation.”

“I haven’t always affirmed you.” Eddie’s voice was small and it didn’t take a genius to realize that he was thinking of the grocery store.

Buck hummed softly. “Hey, that wasn’t my finest moment either. Finest time, really. I’m not holding it against you and you shouldn’t hold it against yourself.”

At a loss for words, Eddie squeezed Buck’s hand tightly and the Alpha bent down to kiss him gently. “Breakfast?”

Eddie chuckled and sat up a little, leaning in to hug the other man close. “Breakfast.”

***

The final day of Eddie’s heat was turning out to be the most fun yet. He was fully present but annoyed with his remaining tendrils of heat, grumbling without conviction as Buck made breakfast. Somehow, that wound up with them fucking against the kitchen table and Eddie vowed to complain more often if it got him this result. That of course meant that they stayed in the kitchen for a long time just because both were sex drunk and Eddie couldn’t really complain about that, even if his ass was cold and at this point so very sore. 

Buck insisted that they go back to bed so that Eddie could sit on something comfortable and the Omega didn’t protest, settling into bed happily. Buck decided to pick up around the room, not disturbing the nest but cleaning up the rest of the mess that they’d left during Eddie’s heat. Eddie tried to offer to help, but the Alpha had shaken his head. He argued that Eddie was still coming off of heat and sore, he shouldn’t be expected to do anything. The Omega didn’t protest, fairly happy to not actually have to clean. It was hardly his favorite activity. 

Buck straightened the room and picked up the condoms and lube, holding them up. “Where do you want these?”

Eddie hummed, looking up. “In either of the nightstands.”

Buck opened the closest drawer and tucked them in, pausing as his hand settled on something else.

<<<

Buck paused as he felt the smooth plastic under his fingers. It felt like a photo and Buck was far too curious to let it sit, though he figured that he shouldn’t be snooping through Eddie’s things.

Was it snooping if Eddie was right there?

He pulled the photo out and turned it over to look at the image, already knowing that it must be something interesting and maybe sad since Eddie had it buried in his drawer and upside down. 

Eddie, in full uniform-and fuck the man looked beautiful in dress uniform-, a very young Christopher-maybe 4?-and a woman with dark brown hair in a sundress posed in what looked like the middle of some fancy gathering. 

It wasn’t hard to figure out who she must be.

“Eddie?” The Omega looked over with a soft hum and smiled, freezing a little when he saw the photo. Just to be sure, Buck held up the photo. “Is this Shannon?”

Eddie nodded slowly, lifting his eyes from the photo to Buck. “Yeah.” After a second, he added, “I kept it in case Christopher ever wants to know.”

What the mother who’d abandoned both Diaz’s looks like. Buck turned his attention back to the photo. She had a nice smile, and she was pretty enough. But something was a little wild about the eyes, not quite right.

He turned his attention to the young Eddie in the photograph and focused on him. Buck knew what Eddie looked like when he was stressed and stress was absolutely radiating off of the man in the picture. His face was tense and his smile was fake. There was a small healing cut on his face and another on his hand that was holding Christopher on his hip. He was wearing a ring, but Buck was quick to notice that Shannon wasn’t.

Buck had to ask. “Eddie? Where did these cuts come from?”

Eddie’s silence was enough to answer him and Buck felt his heart sink. The Omega finally spoke. “She never actually hit me. Nothing she threw ever really hit me either. But she did throw things sometimes and some of those were breakable. She threw a vase once and it shattered. A couple of the pieces cut up my hand and face, especially when I panicked. It was...it set off my PTSD, the crash. I hadn’t even been back a week, it was too soon for me to handle loud noises well. She left like three days later.” 

The more Buck heard about Shannon, the more he hated Eddie’s former mate. The Alpha who’d given up one of the sweetest men in the world and had made his life hell beforehand still wasn’t really gone, even six years later. Eddie wore the emotional scars and seemed to take some of them to heart, believing so many lies for so many years. 

Buck set the photo down and crawled into bed with Eddie, pulling him close. The Omega went willingly, seemingly glad to give and receive comfort. It was a long moment before Buck spoke.

“Every time I think that she can’t get any worse, she does. I...I didn’t know how abusive she really was.”

Eddie turned his face into Buck’s neck, seemingly inhaling his scent. “She never laid a finger on me or Christopher. She’d yell a lot and if she was really mad-usually after she’d come back from a night out-she’d throw something. Never at Chris, just in my general direction. It was always just something that was within reach, so most of the time it wasn’t even something potentially harmful. But occasionally she grabbed something harmful, like the plate when I told her I was enlisted again or the vase after I got back.” He hesitated for a moment. “It took a long time for me to consider it abuse because I always thought abuse would’ve hurt me physically. And like, not always is throwing things harmful. We’ve thrown pillows or cushions at each other for years and it’s playful...”

“But we know it’s meant playfully.” Buck added.

“Yeah. And I know the difference now between our playful stuff and her hurtful stuff, but I didn’t then. It...was hard for me to acknowledge how badly I’d screwed my life over.”

And it pained Eddie to say the words, Buck could hear it. He pressed a kiss to the top of his boyfriend’s head. “Sounds like you got swept up in a tornado and couldn’t get out.” Eddie’s choices may have determined him getting into and staying in the relationship, but he’d been screwed from the start just out of his desperation to have someone who loved and appreciated him. With that situation, what kind of choices did it leave him? And he wasn’t responsible for who Shannon was. “Besides, out of all of that shit, you made it out. You’ve made a life for yourself and Christopher with very little help. And your journey brought you to me.”

Eddie’s face was made soft by an expression of love and happiness, worn on his features unashamedly. “It did, didn’t it?” He said softly. “Could’ve been worse.” And by an unspoken agreement, they left the topic of Shannon. Eddie did move and pick up the picture, smiling a little. “Christopher was so small in that, but he seemed so big then. I hadn’t seen him in 20 months and he’d grown a lot.”

“I bet. They grow up so fast, just look at him now.” They both glanced over at one of the only photos Eddie had in his room, which was Christopher’s school photo of the year. Buck turned his attention back to the photo in Eddie’s hand. “Where was this taken anyway? You’re in dress uniform.”

A bittersweet smile crossed Eddie’s lips. “My award ceremony, where I got my Silver Star. The incident where I earned it happened close to the end of my tour and my commanding officer managed to work things out so that I was discharged early. I only had like two more months to go anyway.”

“One day,” Buck said carefully, knowing that Eddie had a history of shutting down when asked about his military record. He’d given them a brief overview in the hospital room, (helicopter crash, he helped get everyone out, the patient didn’t make it), but he’d quickly moved on. “One day, I’d like to know more about the story behind it.”

After a moment, Eddie looked up at him with a small smile. “One day, soon. Not now.”

“Not now.” Buck agreed and kissed him gently. He then tucked the photo away back into the drawer and closed it firmly. He turned back to Eddie and asked, “Movie?”

Eddie smiled in return. “Just not Finding Nemo.”

“No problem, we’ll watch Finding Dory.” Buck, halfway out the door, felt a pillow smack into his back and laughed, going to rifle through the Diaz movie rack. 

***

They didn’t actually wind up watching Finding Dory. They wound up on a channel with an old tv show on, Emergency!, and decided they liked it enough to continue watching. Seeing a firefighter show from the 70s was not only amusing because of the fact that tv shows never got it fully right, but that a lot had changed since then. They curled up under a blanket together and ate chocolate covered pretzels, satisfying Eddie’s sweet tooth and Buck’s own craving. 

During a commercial break, Buck looked at Eddie. “When’s Chris coming back?”

“Hmmm tomorrow. My heat will be fully done by then and we can air the house out. Or I.” Eddie blushed at his slip in words and Buck found it adorable. 

“I’ll be here if you want me to. You know I love being here with Chris and you.”

“Honestly, I don’t want you to ever leave. But it’s a bit soon for that.”

Eddie’s honesty and openness still took Buck by surprise, but he couldn’t protest the idea. “Maybe one day.”

They still had shit to figure out. But the promise of one day was good enough for now.

***

Buck stayed around for the rest of the day, getting Eddie through the sparse but intensely horny bouts of sex that accompanied the last day of a heat. In the time between said bouts of sex, they worked on cleaning the house and airing out the heat smell. 

Or rather, Buck cleaned the house and tried to make Eddie rest because of his soreness, which only resulted in the Omega getting up every five minutes to correct something that Buck hadn’t done exactly right. He may hate cleaning, but there was a system and Buck had never bothered to learn the system. The bedroom hadn’t mattered, but the rest of the house was a different story.

Others may have been annoyed, but Buck just watched Eddie with an endeared smile and shooed the Omega back to rest. 

Early evening came and went, Eddie’s last tendrils of heat with it. With the house smelling almost completely fresh and his heat gone, Eddie couldn’t wait any longer to see his son. The week of his heat officially marked the longest period he’d been away from Christopher since his deployments and it was only made bearable by the fact that most of the time, he wasn’t in his right mind.

After watching Eddie unsuccessfully hide missing his kid, Buck had tossed his phone from the coffee table at him and told him to just call Abuela already and ask if Chris could come home early. With a sheepish look, Eddie dialed his grandma and spoke with her quietly. Half of it was in Spanish and Buck couldn’t really understand it, but from Eddie’s occasional glances in his direction he guessed Abuela was getting the news first. It was confirmed when Eddie lowered the phone enough to ask, “Is it ok if I tell her?”

“What, all of it?” Buck teased. At Eddie’s indignant blush, the Alpha laughed. “Sure, baby. Of course you can tell her. We can discuss telling people later and everything, but she’s family.”

Eddie’s soft smile told him that the response was appreciated and Buck returned it, leaving Eddie to explain to his Abuela what he wanted.

About 15 minutes later, the Omega settled beside Buck at the kitchen counter, a subtle wince crossing his features as he sat. Buck looked over at him. “So how did she take it? Did she even know you’re not straight?”

“She and Tia are the only ones who know I’m Bi. I’ve never dared tell my parents or my sisters. Abuela and Tia have always been super supportive. And she took it very well. Half of the conversation was spent raving about what a good man you are and the other half was spent threatening to send the Diaz family wrath on you if you hurt me.”

Buck could see that Eddie was grinning through the explanation and chuckled. “So Abuela and Pepa’s wrath?” 

“And Christopher. Though honestly he loves you too much to ever get mad at you, so you need not worry about the wrath of my ten year old.”

“Oh I don’t know about that. He’s super loyal to his dad first and foremost.” Buck said with a chuckle. He rested his head on Eddie’s shoulder, the other man resting their heads together. “I hope I never give them cause to turn their anger on me.”

Eddie was silent for a moment. “Is it wrong that instead of saying you won’t, I want to say me too?”

Buck took one of Eddie’s hands and squeezed it gently. “No baby, it’s not wrong.”

“Like I don’t think you will, I don’t, it’s just...”

The Alpha squeezed the other man’s hand to stop his panicked rambling. “I know babe. It’s ok. You trust me, but the only other experience you have to compare us with turned out horribly. Just because I fully intend to treat you right doesn’t mean your past goes away.”

Eddie leaned a little more against Buck and said softly, “Nothing about this is comparable. It’s two different situations entirely, two opposite ends of any spectrum. But I still...” he trailed off.

Buck kissed the Omega’s shoulder through his thin t-shirt. “Give it time, love.”

They stayed huddled together on the chairs until they heard the closing of a car door. Eddie was out of the kitchen like a shot and Buck wasn’t far behind him. They opened the door to Abuela, Pepa, and Christopher making their way to the porch. Eddie swept his son up into his arms and held him for a long few moments, quiet chatter exchanged between the two.

Buck watched this with fondness and greeted Isabel and Pepa warmly when they came up to him. Isabel took his face in her hands and scanned it, appearing to approve of what she saw as she patted his cheek and went inside. Pepa was more reserved, looking him over while Isabel interacted with him. Buck was well aware that both Diaz women liked him, but that they were fiercely protective of Eddie.

Knowing Eddie’s history, he could understand it. But to be honest, he wasn’t sure how much Eddie’s own family knew about what had happened. 

Pepa seemed to finish her assessment and greeted Buck warmly, heading into the house as well. Buck took another look at Eddie and met his eyes over Chris’s shoulder. There was something about Eddie when Chris was around, something that didn’t really get seen around anyone else cause it was reserved for his son. Seeing that now in the lines of the brunette’s face and his soft smile, Buck let them be and went into the house, knowing the two Diaz boys would join them when they were ready. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok! So this was supposed to be a MUCH longer chapter. But I realized that what would have been the second part could be a chapter all on its own and decided to break it up. Next chapter isn’t quite as happy, the boys deal with some things. And there’s a surprise.
> 
> Also this story is about Eddie. But I would be remiss if I acted like he’s the only one who has trauma. So the next couple of chapters, we will see a little bit of Buck’s past and struggles especially regarding his relationship with Eddie. Then we go back to our regularly scheduled program 😂
> 
> As I’m sure you see, the characters in this story are a tiny bit OOC. But that’s because a). I had to move things around for an abo story. B). Because I decided to take the best of both characters and revise the worst. But I think you guys don’t mind, after all you’re reading it!
> 
> Annnnnd I might have a tiny surprise to announce later on in the story. Might being keyword. 😉


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed, this is now a series! I made it a series so it would include the new prequel that I have started and released. How did Buddie start in the A/B/O verse? What are the two seasons preceding this book like when told with A/B/O and an Omega Eddie? Check it out! Obviously, it’s pre-relationship.

The alarm rang out far too loud and far too early in the morning. Eddie groaned and stretched out to hit the snooze. It took him an embarrassing amount of time to find the snooze button on the clock that he’d had for five years and by the time he finally shut off the noise, he was more abruptly awake than he’d wanted to be.

Behind him, the warm weight of another body stirred and the arm around his waist pulled him close, placing a gentle kiss on the crook of his neck. “Mmmm good morning.”

“Morning.” Eddie mumbled, turning over and burying his face in Buck’s chest. He supposed it should be weird, their first time waking up together in bed when he was out of heat. But it wasn’t. It felt right.

Buck chuckled and ran his fingers through Eddie’s curls, one of his favorite habits it would seem. “Why do you have your alarm set so early? You’re off for another week.”

“Chris’s routine.” Buck gave a humming noise. The Alpha was very well acquainted with the Diaz household, but the only times that he’d stayed over was usually when drunk and he’d never questioned why Eddie was always up before him. The Omega shifted away with a groan. “Why couldn’t the heat have ended on a weekend?” He grumbled, pulling boxers and a t-shirt, giving Buck a lingering kiss before going to wake Chris up. 

Buck watched him leave with a soft smile, too sleepy still to volunteer to help. Besides, Eddie was more than capable of getting his son up and the Alpha knew how much their morning routine mattered to them. Eddie usually let Chris play for a bit before they went to school, so the Alpha suspected he’d be back soon.

They’d talked about waiting until the next day to tell Christopher, but neither had really been able to wait that long. Especially since Eddie had invited Buck to stay over and the Alpha was hardly going to say no. Eddie had seemed nervous about how to approach the topic and Buck could understand why to a degree. He was too. Chris adored both his dad and Buck, but there was no telling what he even remembered about the Affa that had left when he was four. Buck didn’t ever want the boy to worry that he’d turn into the Alpha that had turned their lives upside down. 

That wasn’t a problem though, not in the end. Buck smiled softly as he thought of the night before, relaxing further into bed. 

+++

They’d discussed this while waiting for Christopher to come back home and now was the perfect time, Buck thought. Abuela and Tia had left just a few minutes prior. Looking over at Eddie, he saw his boyfriend give a small nod with a slightly nervous smile.

“Hey buddy, I want to ask you something.” This caught Christopher’s attention and the little boy leaned in to show he was listening. Eddie had said that Chris would get it if Buck asked straight out, so he did. “I want to be your dad’s boyfriend, but I also want to know if you’re ok with it. Because if you’re not, that’s ok buddy, cause I don’t want to do anything you’re not ok with.”

Christopher seemed to be thinking about it and Buck could see Eddie nervously biting his nails. The ten year old asked carefully, “Does that mean you’ll be Daddy’s Alpha?”

“Well, kinda. I’d only really be his Alpha if we mated and we’re not ready for that yet. But the boyfriend version of it, yeah.”

“So you’re seeing if you want to mate him?”

“Yeah, basically. And if he wants me as his mate.”

Christopher was quiet for a bit, but his next question was solemn and heartbreaking in its meaning. “Are you going to make Dad cry?” At Buck’s puzzled expression, the boy continued to explain, “Affa made him cry a lot.”

Buck could see Eddie duck his head out of the corner of his eyes and he felt a cold hand clutch at his heart. “I will try my best to never make your dad cry, ok? If he does, I only want it to be happy tears. And if I make him cry anything else, you can kick my butt. Ok?”

“Like in the video game?”

“Like in the video game.”

“Deal.” Christopher looked up at his dad. “Does this mean Buck’s actually part of the family?”

Eddie came to kneel next to them and his soft smile was genuine. “Yeah buddy, he’s actually part of the family now. He was always kind of family though.” Eddie’s smile was turned towards Buck and the Alpha couldn’t help but lean forward to kiss Eddie gently.

“Yay! Finally.” Christopher’s cry of exuberance was followed up by him throwing his arms around the both of them, being hugged back almost immediately.

+++

Buck was distracted from his thoughts by Eddie coming back into the room alone. “Is he up?”

“Yep. He’s playing for a little while before we need to get ready for school, so we have about a half hour.”

“A half hour, huh?” Buck smirked as Eddie neared the bed. “How will we ever pass it?”

“Hmmm I have a few ideas.” Eddie crawled into bed on all fours and hovered above the blonde with a smirk on his own face.

Buck chuckled softly even as his hands went to Eddie’s waist. “Aren’t you sore?”

“Um, no?”

“Uh huh.” Buck rolled his eyes fondly and brushed the curls off Eddie’s forehead. “There’s plenty of stuff we can do that will spare you your ability to sit.”

“You say that like it’s a good thing.” Eddie replied cheekily, but straddled Buck’s thighs and sat there contently. “So what did you have in mind?”

“Hmmm well we haven’t really been able to explore, have we?”

“Heat didn’t leave much room for that, did it?” 

“Nope. So you know, maybe we need to make up for lost time.”

“Oh I agree. But you’re gonna have to lead here.” 

Buck took a moment to look over the Omega perched easily on his lap. It was hard to imagine that just two weeks ago, Eddie had been hiding his Omega status and his past under a solid mask of...well, anything to disguise vulnerability. And now the man was watching him with more vulnerability in his eyes and the lines of his face than Buck had ever seen. All for him too.

Eddie gave a surprised but delighted hum when Buck surged forward to kiss him. “I can do that.”

“Good. Better do it fast, I don’t want my kid walking in on us.”

“Oh God no.” Buck grimaced and tipped them over, smothering Eddie’s grunt with another fierce kiss.

Both aware of the time constraint and both still young, it didn’t take long for them to start rutting against each other. Buck was happily surprised when Eddie rolled them over and took back a tiny bit of control in the kissing.

“You...you’ve taken such good care of me...” Eddie said in between panting kisses. “I wanna take care of you now.”

How could Buck say no to that? He couldn’t and didn’t want to. “I’d like that, baby.”

Eddie shimmied further down the bed, glad they’d both slept in the nude last night as Buck was still utterly and gloriously naked. He eyed the Alpha’s cock hungrily. Ever since he’d first seen it, in the throes of his early heat, he’d wanted to taste it. He doubted he was going to be able to take the whole thing in his mouth, but he for sure wanted to try.

As this was his first time attempting a blowjob, he took it slow. Starting with taking the member into his hand and stroking it slowly, he leaned forward and licked at the spongy head. Though salty, Buck’s pre-cum wasn’t as bitter as he had expected and he rather liked it. Taking a deep breath and hollowing his cheeks, Eddie took Buck’s cock into his mouth, sliding it in until the very tip brushed the back of his throat. Resisting his urge to gag, he slowly slid off again and licked up the underside.

Buck let out a muffled groan and his hand came down to grasp Eddie’s hair. “Baby...” he breathed out, trying to keep his voice low.

Eddie gave a muffled moan around Buck’s cock, mind going silent as he concentrated on his task. The weight of the flesh in his mouth was comforting, as odd as that may sound. Buck’s quiet words above them, encouraging him and praising him, only spurred him on more, bobbing his head up and down and hollowing his cheeks.

“Fuck baby, you feel so good...look so good too, damnit...” Eddie did look good, debauched and pink with the effort he was putting into this. Buck felt his knot start swelling faster just looking at him and he know he wasn’t going to hold out much longer. “Baby, I’m close...”

Eddie wanted him to cum in his mouth, doubling down on his efforts with Buck’s cock. He wrapped his hand around the Alpha’s rapidly growing knot and massaged it. Buck let out a muffled yelp of surprise and less than a minute later his cum flooded Eddie’s mouth, who obediently and even eagerly swallowed it down. 

Buck’s hands tugged him off when it became too sensitive and Eddie found himself maneuvered onto his back before even a moment had passed and kissed deeply by the Alpha above him. Aroused out of his mind and a little bit dazed-ok apparently intimacy made him spacey-Eddie let him be dominated in the kiss, finding it maybe a little too arousing that Buck didn’t seem to mind tasting himself.

“Baby.” Buck rumbled, pulling back just a little. “There’s something I want to do...”

“Wha-“ was about all Eddie could come up with, but Buck wasn’t done.

“I think you’ll like it...maybe a little too much. Don’t want you being too loud with Chris in the next room.”

“I-I can stay quiet...” Eddie breathed out, not actually sure he could but anything just to get Buck’s hands a little lower.

“Mmm...maybe. Cause you know, if you can’t, I’m going to have to stop.”

“You bastard, don’t you dare.” Eddie couldn’t stop his hips from jolting upwards though, which made his threat go completely over Buck’s head.

The Alpha had a smirk the size of Texas on his face as he moved lower, pulling off Eddie’s shirt and toying with the band of his boxers. “You don’t even know what I’m going to be doing. That ok with you?”

“Mmhmm. I trust you. Now get a fucking move on.” Eddie groaned.

Buck chuckled and glanced over at the clock. They only had about ten minutes left, but the Alpha was pretty sure Eddie wasn’t going to last half of that. With that in mind, he tugged down Eddie’s boxers and snuck a lick at his cock that had sprung free. 

Eddie gasped and bit down on his fist. “Fuck.” He whimpered in surprise.

“Oh baby, you’re not going to be able to do it.” Buck chuckled. He really wasn’t sure that the other man could keep quiet, which was good most of the time but not when they were trying to avoid little ears. There was just something about Eddie’s sensitivity that drove Buck wild though. 

“I can, I can...” Eddie said hurriedly. “C’mon Buck, don’t tease.”

“But teasing is the fun part.” Buck grinned as Eddie pinched his within-reach arm in retaliation. “Fine, fine.” He bypassed Eddie’s cock, instead pushing his legs up and apart to expose his hole. It was glistening with slick, though definitely not as much as when Eddie was in heat, and still a little puffy. Wishing he could tease more, but knowing that they were on a time budget, Buck leaned in and swiped his tongue over the ring of muscle.

Eddie gasped and a quick look told Buck that he was biting into his arm. Smirking wider, the Alpha circled the hole slowly with his tongue, digging at the muscle until it gave way and he was pressing inside. Eddie’s slick tasted like he smelled, sweet with a little bite to it. With every thrust of his tongue, he felt the ring of muscle relax and loosen more. Damn, he wished they had time for a quickie. But time and soreness wouldn’t give them that. 

Another quick glance told him that Eddie had moved to biting a pillow, managing to muffle his sounds just enough to get by. Buck supposed it was playing dirty to try something new that he’d known would drive Eddie to a breaking point, but it was just too much fun and too damn hot. Buck tried a swipe of his tongue over the nearest heat glands and he felt Eddie clench, felt the thighs he was pushing up tremble. He was so deliciously close. 

“You gonna cum, baby? Just from my tongue?”

It didn’t seem like Eddie trusted himself enough to take the pillow from his teeth, but he frantically nodded. Buck chuckled and returned to his task, prying open Eddie’s hole again and ravishing him until he felt the clench that didn’t go away, heard the quickening of Eddie’s breath and the muffled cry into the pillow, and pulled back just in time to watch Eddie come untouched all over his clenching abs, slumping bonelessly against the mattress a moment later. 

Buck collapsed beside him and Eddie immediately curled up on his chest. “Fucking hell, we’re doing that again.” The Omega breathed out.

“When we’re alone, cause I wanna hear you. Fuck that was hot.”

Eddie snorted and moved up to kiss the Alpha. They traded gentle kisses as the lustful haze receded from their minds, then groaned when they realized what time it was. Buck grabbed his phone and checked the notifications-piled up after a week-while Eddie sat up and stretched, hunting for his shirt and boxers.

“Bobby wants me to come in today, if I’m able, later this afternoon.” Buck said as he looked through his messages. “Chim and Maddie are losing their minds over whether we spent your heat together, according to the group chat. Hen and Bobby must have kept it to themselves, cause there’s no way they didn’t figure it out.”

“I mean, it’s nice that we’ll be able to confirm it ourselves.” Eddie responded, finding a wet wipe and wiping the cum from his stomach.

Buck looked up with a smile. “You good on telling them, then?”

“Yeah. No more secrets-or at least, fewer secrets. They’re our family. Chris and my closest family know. Maddie should know and the 118 might as well.” Eddie leaned over and kissed Buck. “Besides, I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

“Fucking same.” Buck chuckled, curling his hands through Eddie’s curls. “Right, over text or on shift?”

“I’m not on shift for another week, remember?”

“Why don’t you drive me to the station and we can tell them that way?” Buck suggested. “They’ve been wanting us together for ages, they’ll be thrilled.”

“I’ll have to really apply some blockers.” Eddie snorted. “But we can do that. Best way, really.”

“I agree.” Buck kissed the other man gently. “I love you.”

“I love you too babe.” Eddie’s smile was wide, but quickly turned mischievous. “And your fucking mouth.”

Buck snorted. “Please, and my cock.”

“Daddy said a bad word.” Came from outside of the room and they looked at each other, horrified. They hadn’t even heard Christopher’s crutches. “Does Buck have a rooster?”

Buck fell off the bed laughing, while Eddie stared at the still closed door in horror. “Fuck...put some damn boxers on, Buck!” He hissed down at the Alpha, who was rolling on the floor laughing and in his birthday suit.

***

Fortunately, any disasters had been diverted by Eddie going out and stalling for Buck to get dressed. He also learned that apparently, there was a kid in Chris’s class that had taught him that “cockerel” was another name for “rooster”. Eddie absolutely dreaded giving his son the Talk one day, but was able to divert Chris’s attention from the subject without having to correct him or try to explain. When Chris had gone to his room to get dressed, Eddie had looked at Buck and said firmly, “That settles it. You need to get a rooster and call him Cock,” and Buck had inhaled his coffee in laughter. 

Choking crisis narrowly diverted, the three went about their morning routines. This included a lot of Eddie and Chris continuing their routine and Buck watching with a soft smile. The Alpha got showered and dressed then worked on packing Chris’s lunch while Eddie and Chris were showering. They sat down to eat the breakfast that Buck had prepared and both Buck and Eddie happily let Chris fill most of the conversation with excited chatter about school. Buck let Bobby know that he would come to work and that Eddie would be swinging by briefly as well. For now, both adults were dressed in comfy clothes and busy making sure that Chris hadn’t forgotten any of his homework. 

And in between all of this, Buck and Eddie stole kisses each time they passed each other.

They dropped Chris off at school together and watched with identical grins as they heard him telling Ms. Flores about his dads.

“Hopefully he doesn’t mention the whole cock thing.” Buck said with a laugh and Eddie looked at him in horror.

“Oh God, don’t even say it.”

Going home, Eddie focused on doing laundry, putting the parts of his nest that smelt the most like sex and heat through two washes. Once the nest was washed, Eddie looked over at Buck and hesitated.

“I kinda want to put it back up.”

Buck hugged him from behind. “Do it if you want to. Nests aren’t only for heats.” The Omega turned and kissed him gratefully.

Eddie made the nest again and it turned out even better than the first. It smelt fresh and clean, not staying that way as the Alpha decided now would be a great time to rechristen the nest and Eddie had no objections.

Sue them, they were young and insatiable. But Eddie grumbled about having to put it back through the wash until Buck kissed him quiet.

The rest of the early day was spent tidying up and cuddling together in the newly clean (again) nest or on the couch. When 4:00 pm rolled around, Buck started to get ready to go to work and Eddie stood there watching.

“It’ll be weird not having you there. It was weird before.” Buck looked up as he tied his shoes. 

“It’s weird letting you go.” Eddie sat beside him on the bed. “Take care of yourself, ok? I’m not there to back you up.”

“I will. Strict rule: no dying till Eddie comes back.”

“Hey! Not funny!” Eddie protested, but laughed along with Buck after a moment. 

“You take care of yourself too, ok?”

“Oh sure, staying at home will be so dangerous. Actually, I shouldn’t say that, it can be. I’ll take care of myself.”

“Good. Cause we may have jumped ahead in our relationship, but I still want you in one piece to wine and dine you.”

“Who says you’re doing the wining and dining?” Eddie was blushing though, and they both knew it’d mostly be Buck. “And the same goes to you.”

“Deal.” They kissed on it and Buck finished getting ready. Eddie didn’t care what he looked like, as he’d be only dropping by the station briefly, so he stayed in sweatpants and a t-shirt.

On the drive to the station, Buck texted Maddie to tell her what was going on while Eddie focused on the road. Neither were too surprised when Buck’s FaceTime alert went off.

“Hey Maddie.”

“EVAN BUCKLEY! YOU DON’T JUST TEXT ME THAT YOU’RE NOW DATING EDDIE DIAZ, YOU ASSHOLE! I NEED DETAILS!”

Both men burst out laughing and Buck turned the camera to show Eddie. “He’s right here, sis.”

“Hey Maddie.” Eddie grinned shyly.

“Hey Eddie! Good, then both of you can tell me what’s going on.”

Buck shrugged and turned the camera back towards him. “Not much to tell, really. We got together about a week ago.”

“You’re only just telling me? Wait, wasn’t Eddie’s heat supposed to start like a week ago?”

“Yeah-“

“Oh please tell me it was safe, sane, and consensual.”

“Hey of course!” Buck seemed offended and Eddie hopped in.

“We got our heads out of our asses during one of my lucid moments. Extraordinary timing, but nothing happened that anyone didn’t want or consent to.”

“Ok good. Sorry, I just had to be sure, you know what happens.”

“We know, it’s all good.” After a brief moment of offense, Buck didn’t seem to mind. They’d all seen in their lines of work and on the news the amount of Omegas taken advantage of their heat.

“So? How was it?”

“Oh my God, Maddie!” Buck smacked his face with the hand that wasn’t holding the phone and groaned. Eddie blushed a rose color.

“What? Oh my gosh, get your minds out of the gutter! I meant your talk.”

Buck looked over at Eddie, who met his gaze with a soft smile. “Really, really good. I think we’re gonna be ok.”

“Good. Congratulations to you both! So are you planning on hyphenating the names, or-“

“Not there yet!” Buck and Eddie both laughed, though both allowed themselves a moment to think it over.

“Ok, ok. Look, I’ll let you guys go now, but I’m glad you guys finally got your heads out of your asses. Welcome to the family officially, Eddie.”

“Thanks Maddie.” Eddie grinned at the camera for a second before turning his eyes back to the road.

“I’ll talk to you later sis.”

“You’d better!” The call disconnected and Buck let out a chuckle, looking over at Eddie.

“Well that’s done.”

“She took it pretty well.” Eddie remarked, making a turn. They were about five minutes out from the station. 

“She likes you. Plus she knows I’ve been pining over you. Wait, did anyone know on your end?”

“I’m pretty sure the whole of the 118 has wanted us to get together for ages. But Abuela, Pepa, and Carla definitely knew.”

“Nothing gets past them. Did Carla know your designation?”

“Nothing. And I’m sure she guessed, but she never said anything. Just looked at me knowingly when it came out.”

“I’m not surprised.” Buck said with a chuckle.

“Mhm. Hey, I wanted to run something by you.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“So tomorrow I have to go to an appointment with the ob/gyn. Have some tests run. Then I have to go back at the beginning of the week to talk with the doctor. I wondered if you wanted to come with me at the beginning of next week?”

“You want me there?” Buck was surprised, but pleasantly so.

Eddie hesitated slightly. “I don’t really want to be alone. In case there’s more bad news. And even if there isn’t...I’d just feel better if you were there.” He pulled into the station parking lot and turned towards Buck.

The Alpha knew how hard this was for Eddie to admit, out of the privacy of his bedroom and in the open. He reached over and squeezed Eddie’s hand. “I’ll be there.”

The Omega looked at him gratefully and leaned over to kiss Buck. They then got out of the car and walked into the station, taking the other’s hand and squeezing it.

The moment they walked in, they ran into Hen, who took one look at their clasped hands and grinned. “About fucking time. Congrats you guys.” They hugged her and Eddie thanked her-stumbling a little-for helping with the nest supplies. She just smiled and hugged him again.

Bobby didn’t do much other than smile at them and telling them that when Eddie came back to work they’d need to fill out some paperwork. 

Chim just seemed enraged that everyone seemed to know before him, but gave them both a hug during his grumbling.

The alarm went off and Eddie went to make his departure, but Buck hauled him back to kiss him goodbye. “We won’t be able to do that when you start working again.” Buck defended himself cheekily as he climbed into the truck.

Eddie just watched them leave with a stupid grin on his face, walking back to the truck.

***

Eddie tapped his foot impatiently as he looked around the waiting room. They’d only been there for around ten minutes, but it’d felt like an hour. Buck had had to stop Eddie from bolting when the receptionist had a hard time accepting that yes, he was the Omega on the waiting list.

“Eddie.” Buck’s hand came to rest on Eddie’s knee, stopping the bouncing leg.

“She looked past me, Buck.” He hissed. “She was looking for an Omega behind me!”

“I know. That was shitty. But your nerves can’t be shot before the appointment even begins.” Buck kissed Eddie’s temple and rubbed between his shoulders gently.

The Omega sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Too late.”

“Your Doctor is nice though, right?” Buck frowned, trying to recall what little Eddie had said about the woman.

“She is. She didn’t make me feel awful when I saw her in the hospital, so that was something.”

“Mr. Diaz!” A nurse called his name. “Dr. Williams will see you now.” 

Buck and Eddie both stood and followed the nurse into a bright, cheerful room. The room was laid out to service mostly Omegas, with comfy looking chairs and open space, looking less clinical and more like a sunroom office. The doctor sat behind the desk, looking over a file in front of her. She looked up when they came in.

“Mr. Diaz, nice to see you again.” She stood and shook his hand, then looked over at Buck. “This must be Mr. Buckley, Jeana said you were coming along.”

“The girl at the desk said he could come back, is that ok?” Eddie checked uncertainly.

“Of course, especially if he makes you feel more comfortable.” She shook Buck’s hand and gestured for them to sit. “We’ll discuss your results in a moment. I wasn’t here when you came a few days ago as you know, you saw my assistant. So how did your heat go?”

“It was...rough, at first.” Eddie glanced at Buck. “My body became overloaded and I wasn’t doing well.”

“Did you go to hospital?” 

“No. I made an out of my mind call to Buck here and he came to check on me. He checked in with one of the paramedics who works with us and she gave instructions on how to help, but said I didn’t need to go to the hospital.”

“If you’d needed to go to the hospital and hadn’t, you likely wouldn’t be sitting here now. So it was a risk, but she was right. Then?”

“He helped me like Hen said to. When I woke up and was in one of my lucid periods, we basically discovered that we’ve been pining over each other for years and I got a partner for my heat and well...in general. But from there out, my heat was easier to manage.”

Dr. Williams nodded, making a few notes in her files. “Heat partners always make things easier, no matter the circumstances. I see in the file it lasted a full week?”

“Yes.”

“Always a good sign.” She made another note. “How have you been feeling since then?”

“Still a little hormonal. I dropped a plate the other day and couldn’t stop crying for like an hour. I haven’t had that since I was pregnant.”

“You didn’t tell me about that.” Buck looked at Eddie in surprise.

“It was a little embarrassing.”

Dr. Williams chuckled as she noted that and looked back up. “Not unusual at all. After any heat, the hormones are wacky, but yours are struggling particularly at the moment. It’ll pass. Other than that?”

“Honestly? Good. Better than I’ve been in years, to be honest. Things feel like they’re still shifting around, but I can pinpoint differences. Far less lethargic, improved moods, all that jazz. I feel 25 again.”

“Some of that’s the heat. Your body feels more normal than it has in years. Another part of that would be having a mate. Did you two mate during the heat?”

“Officially, bondwise? No we didn’t.”

“The point still stands. The fact that you feel like this shows major improvements to where you were less than three weeks ago.” She asked a few more questions about the heat, some of which making Eddie and Buck both blush (like questions about the slick amount). She saw it and smiled a little. “Embarrassing to talk about, but important for determining what’s going on inside your body.”

“I know.” Eddie replied with a slightly rueful laugh.

The doctor opened a second file in front of her and sat back. “We got your test results in this morning and I must say, they look surprisingly better than expected. Your levels in just about everything are improved. Part of why you’re feeling better. But there are a few notable changes. I assume that you got your results back concerning your carrier ability?”

“Next to 0. Yeah.” Eddie masked it pretty well, but the lining of grief around his eyes was noticeable. Buck reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently.

“Well, that’s what we’re focusing on today. One of the things that made your ability to carry children look so impossible was your hormone and ovulation levels. Those levels are drastically improved from where they were, but they’re still not ideal.”

Eddie felt like he had a headache coming on. “I’m a little confused. They’re good, but still bad?”

“Let me outline it in terms of your future. Your chances of pregnancy have raised from 3% to 40%. Carriers around your age generally have a 86% chance of conceiving within a year. Yours is half that chance based on hormonal and ovulation levels. In basic terms, there is still high probability that you will not conceive again. But there’s still a good probability that you will be able to conceive again within the next few years.”

Eddie’s brain had stopped working around the time she said his chances had risen by 37%. Once he realized that she had stopped talking, it took him a moment to make his mouth connect to his brain. “I...I’m not infertile?”

“No, you’re not. If you wish to conceive again, it won’t be a easy road. It may not ever reward you either.”

“But there’s still a chance.” Buck sounded as shaken as Eddie was.

“Far more of one than he had before this heat.”

Eddie burst into tears, burying his head in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe.
> 
> I’m not a doctor, but the Internet was a great source for looking up pregnancy statistics. Also switching around planned timelines for this is making me scream.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first 9-1-1 fic! I’m soft for bottom and vulnerable Eddie. Not enough of that on here.
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments!
> 
> Also note: all large amounts of abuse are past. The abuser was Eddie’s previous Alpha, Shannon. (I only felt anything other than disgust for her in the episode she died in. I did not like her at all.) But there are references and discussions surrounding the abuse. Mind the tags.
> 
> Should go without saying but I own nothing! The only thing that’s mine is the story itself and even that belongs really to Fox. Though I’m certain they don’t want it.


End file.
